Renaissance
by ilovefreakininfos
Summary: Misaka Mikoto died as she tried to stop the level 6 shift project. The real events were hidden by Academy City, making Kuroko doubt even more. Little did she know that she'll learn the truth sooner than she expected, from four clones and from her Onee-sama herself.
1. Meeting

Where are you going, Shirai-san?"

"I'm just going to visit someone..."

"Oh... Please take care."

"Yeah, I will."

Kuroko walked away from the Judgement office and headed to a flower shop. She bought flowers for someone special to her. After that, she rode a bus to get to her destination.

Having 2.3 million inhabitants, this city's population are composed mostly of students. This is Academy City. It is located somewhere in Tokyo. This city's technology is 20 to 30 years more advanced than the other countries in the whole world. Because of this, the students acquired psychic powers. They are ranked from level 0 to level 5, in which only seven people reached the highest level. One of them is the person that a certain teleporter is going to visit: the third strongest level 5, Misaka Mikoto.

As the teleporter arrived to her destination, she went into a small room. It was a mausoleum. It was guarded by a few armed men, but they let her in. She placed the flowers in a vase and stood in front of it. Her lips curved into a sad smile and said with a solemn voice:

"Good morning, Onee-sama."

(O_O)

"'Do we really need to tell that person about the situation?' asks Misaka as she feels uncertain about this."

"'Yes, because this is what Onee-sama wanted,' states Misaka.

"'It's already time. We should go. The target is already at the location,' says Misaka telling the others to hurry."

"'Roger. Commence mission,'"

Four people with the same appearance walked the back alleys. They are going to the same direction to where the teleporter went. This is because they got business with Shirai Kuroko, a level 4 teleporter, and also the best friend of Misaka Mikoto, their Onee-sama.

(O_O)

"I'm here again, Onee-sama..."

It has been a month since Misaka Mikoto, the strongest electromaster, was killed by an unknown criminal's hands. Despite the power to create and control 1 billion volts of electricity, she died. Her friends and family couldn't believe it, and their doubts worsened when the authorities ordered to stop the investigation. The city's administration hides something important to them, and they don't want it to be known to the public. But, Kuroko's determination never wavered. She'll continue to search, no matter what she might discover. If it's for her Onee-sama, she'll do anything.

The mere thought of it made Kuroko grit her teeth. She'll bring justice to her Onee-sama no matter what. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming inside the room. Thinking it was someone she knew, she looked at the source of the sound. Her eyes grew wide in shock, and she was stuck in her position.

"Wh-what? W-who... "

"'We are here to deliver a message to you, Shirai Kuroko,' says Misaka telling her intention of meeting you."

There stood in front of her four of her Onee-samas, or rather, four people who are very identical to her Onee-sama. They walked closer to her as she asked them again.

"You're not Onee-sama, right?..."

"'Yes,' says Misaka answering your question."

"Then, who are you?... "

"'We and Onee-sama share the same genetic code,' states Misaka."

She evaluated the girl's statement, and she reached into a conclusion.

"Clones... Ain't that illegal?"

"'Yes. And that's why 'they' hid it from you,' says Misaka stating the obvious."

Kuroko knew who are the people these clones are talking about that hid this information.

"The city's administration... They knew about this... "

"'And we're here to tell you everything for this is what Onee-sama wished for,' says Misaka as she clarifies their intention."

Kuroko thought deeply. Hearing the clones' story might aid in her investigation, but she's also afraid of what she might know. She shook off her fear and she decided.

"Let me hear your story." Then from there the clones told her everything, from the Radio Noise project, the fact that they couldn't reach level 5, the Level 6 Shift attempt on Accelerator, Mikoto's struggle in destroying the facilities, and the fact that hurt her the most: the reason Misaka Mikoto died.

After hearing all of that, she couldn't help but tremble. Her knees gave up as she slumped unto the floor. She couldn't think that her Onee-sama did all that. She felt useless for not knowing what Mikoto is going through despite noticing her abrupt change. She remained like that until something happened.

"'Ugh... What is this pain...' says Misaka...as she felt something is... invading her mind..."

"10032, what's happening to you? asks Misaka..."

Then the clone fainted, and was supported by the other clones. After a minute, she opened her eyes, but something is different. She regained consciousness and mustered the strength to stand. She flashed a nostalgic, bright smile, making Kuroko's heart flutter by the mere sight of it. After that, she spoke something that lighted Kuroko's expression.

"Long time no see, Kuroko."

"Onee-sama..."

Author's note:

*henk* hey people. It's my first time posting a story here, and this is actually just something I thought out of nowhere. XD Tehe XD

I decided to post it to ease up my mind. :)

(I'm sorry if there are grammatical errors. XD)


	2. Death

**Warning: Violence and cursing ahead. Blood everywhere, (because Accelerator...)**

"'Ugh... What is this pain...' says Misaka...as she felt something is... invading her mind..."

 _'Please calm down... I know this is sudden but, can I ask a favor from you?'_

A voice resounded in her head. Misaka 10032 knew who owned that voice, so she calmed down and heard her request.

' _I'm really sorry, I know it's too much to ask you this, but... can I borrow your body for a while? I think it's more appropriate to communicate with her personally...'_

"'It's okay, Onee-sama... '"

' _Thank you... My younger sister...'_

Then they switched places. As she opened her eyes, she saw Kuroko in front of her. She smiled, and mustered the strength to stand up. She's not used in controlling other people's body, making her posture a bit wobbly. When her consciousness fitted in, she spoke the words that would make Kuroko smile.

"Long time no see, Kuroko."

"Onee-sama..."

They remained staring at each other for a while, and then Kuroko spoke.

"Is that really you, Onee-sama?"

"Yeah... A lot happened... You heard everything, right?"

"Yes... But..."

"Hmm?"

"Why did you do that? How are you talking to me right now? I just couldn't understand it... Onee-sama..."

She averted her gaze, then started her story.

"Well actually..."

*Flashback*

"I'll fight Accelerator... to stop the experiments..."

"Are you sure you're going to beat him? Or..."

In front of her is Kamijou Touma, the boy she called an annoying idiot that she couldn't beat no matter what.

"I'll beat him. Don't worry."

"Are you sure you don't need my help?"

"Hmm..."

Mikoto knew that he won't stop until he does something to help, that's why she thought of a plan.

"Actually, I got something for you to do."

"What is it? I'll do anything."

"Gather up the sisters. I know they're just around here somewhere..."

"Are you sure? What are you going to do with them?"

"Just gather them up. I'll let them do something. Just call me when you found them."

It was a lie.

"Okay. Don't die on me, Misaka..."

"Hurry up. It's already time."

"Promise me you'll come back."

She paused for a while, and replied.

"...Yeah, I promise... "

"Good luck, Misaka... "

"..."

She couldn't reply. All she said was a lie. She let him find the Sisters so that he won't interfere with her plan. She walked into the next location of the experiment, and clenched her hands tightly. No matter how dangerous her plan was, no one could stop her. As she trudged the darkness before her, she muttered these simple words that weighted like a million tons.

 ** _"I'm sorry..."_**

She's planning to die.

She never planned to win against Accelerator. Tree Diagram predicted that she would die on the 185th move. With the Tree Diagram destroyed, a deviation from the prediction would result to panic to the masterminds of this experiment, halting them from their tracks. She planned to die in less than 185 moves to destroy the supercomputer's prediction, resulting to the termination of the Level 6 Shift project.

As she arrived at the location, Accelerator is already fighting one of her sisters. She flashed a lightning strike between them, making her presence known.

"It seems that I'm a bit late..."

"Onee-sama..."

Her sister got wounds and bruises all over her. A flashback appeared from her mind, and she shook off the memory of the death of the first sister she met. It still haunts her even now. She gave her a reassuring smile, and spoke.

"Don't worry. I'll save you..."

Then she faced Accelerator, who wore a bored expression all over his face. She couldn't help but grit her teeth.

"Well, ain't it the original... Long time no see. You see, I'm actually fighting one of your clones here, so I'll entertain you later-"

She blasted a few volts to his direction, but was deflected as usual. She stepped a few feet forward, closing in to the battle ground.

"I'm you're opponent right now, so don't touch her."

Seeing her determination, Accelerator faced her. He thought he might as well play with her to make things interesting.

"Oh, okay then. Entertain me, Railgun."

His lips curved up into a sadistic grin then he made a step into the ground. With his power, several projectiles flew her way. Mikoto smiled, and she stood still. She let his attack hit her, making her bleed in different places. She coughed up a bit of blood and mocked the albino infront of her.

"Well, I'm a bit disappointed... The first hit wasn't enough to kill me."

"Huh? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I said I'm disappointed. I never knew you're attack would be this weak..."

She hid all the pain from showing. She didn't want to look weak in front of her nemesis.

"What did you fucking say, bitch?!"

He kicked on the rails on the ground, making it fly to her direction. Mikoto never did anything, even a twitch. She let the railing stab her. Despite the pain, she continued to smile. She fell on the ground, blood dripping from her. Her clone just stared at the scene. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Oi... What are you doing?... "

"Hahaha..."

She chuckled silently, sounding a bit deranged. Blood dripped from her mouth, but she continued to smile. She already lost a lot of blood. She really thought her plan would work. As she continued to embrace the pain coursing through her, she couldn't feel more delighted. She felt like she's already free from her sin, and she's paying for it right now. Suddenly, her phone rang. She picked it up with a trembling hand and answered the call.

"Biribiri, I've gathered them all. I'll go there too..."

She continued to listen, but didn't respond.

"Oi, what's happening there? Biribiri?"

From the other line, Kamijou Touma heard a certain male's voice.

"Are you really that obsessed on dying that you accepted all my attacks? Don't fucking play with me, third-rate."

As he heard this, panic coursed through his body. He knew she's hiding something from him.

"What the hell are you doing Misaka?! You promised me right?!"

Mikoto smiled despite the pain and the boy on the other line waited for her reply.

"I'm sorry, but I'm the one who will finish this myself."

"Misaka! Wait-"

She abruptly ended the call. She looked at Accelerator and threw her cellphone away.

"You're not gonna deliver the last blow? Make it fast, I'm a bit bored..."

She said it confidently while hiding the pain in her voice. This comment pissed Accelerator, and he moved to his next attack.

"You're gonna fucking regret this, bitch."

He gripped her right arm with his left hand and pulled her up. With his other hand, he pushed her shoulder forcefully.

"Ugh-ghaaa!"

Her right arm was ripped off from her body. Blood gushed and splattered around her. She flew a few meters away and hit a container. This made the air escape from her lungs forcefully. She fell near one of her sisters. Her sister couldn't help but stare at her destroyed state, a pool of blood was formed on the ground beneath her. Accelerator then threw her right arm 5 meters away from him.

"Onee-sama..."

Mikoto mustered up a forced smile, with blood decorating her face. As she maintained a smile on her face, her sister gazed down, letting her hair hide her face, and muttered a silent wish.

"Please don't die... Onee-sama..."

Her words struck Mikoto's heart, more than Accelerator's attacks or the rail that stabbed her gut. With these simple words, she remembered everything important to her.

'Mom, Dad... Saten-san and Uiharu-san... Kuroko... the Sisters... and that idiot... I think they would be lonely without me... And that goes the same for me, too... '

She couldn't imagine being without them, and the mere thought of it lighted up a fuse inside her. She never thought of what her friends would feel if she died. Considering this, she felt guilt stabbing her heart. She realized she was being selfish, for she only wanted to escape from her sin. What would happen to her sisters if she's gone? She'll never let that happen.

"I..."

Sparks flew from her head, and light returned in her eyes.

"...I won't die yet!"

Before blood loss could kill her, she gathered all of her strength. Seeing this scene, Accelerator couldn't help but get confused.

"Oi, even if you go all out on me right now, you're gonna die already. What's the point of fighting back at this time?"

But she never intended to fight back. She held her sister's temples, and forced some electricity on her. What she did was connect her consciousness to the Misaka Network before her bodily functions slipped away. With this, she connected and transferred her own consciousness to the network, and she'll think of what she'll do next if she succeeded. Even if it is somewhat impossible, she did it with her friends and family as her motivation. Every single piece of iron around her vibrated dangerously in a weird rhythm. She never knew what she was doing, she's just doing what her instincts would tell her.

As she did this process, Kamijou Touma arrived into the scene. He quickly ran near her but is stopped by the outbursts of electricity.

"Misaka! What are you doing!"

"I'll see you again... That's a promise..."

She closed her eyes, her body lied lifeless on the ground. Her pale and bloody face looked peaceful, almost like she was just sleeping. Misaka 10032 fainted. The sparks ended, and Touma approached Mikoto's body and the sister's collapsed form. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, with his knuckles turning white. He faced Accelerator and declared war at him.

"I...

"Huh? " Accelerator eyed him mockingly.

"I'm going to finish this!"

*End of Flashback*

"So here I am, borrowing my sister's body,even though this is just temporary. Without you guys, I think we won't see each other again... That's why... I thank all of you..."

"Onee-sama..."

Tears ran down on Kuroko's cheeks. Seeing this, Mikoto couldn't help but get startled.

"Hmm? O-oi! Why are you crying?! Are you hu-"

"Onee-sama!"

Kuroko tackled her into a hug. She kinda missed her friend's antics, but she couldn't let this go on... Or else...

"Ah! Onee-sama! I missed you so much! To compensate for your absence, I'm gonna feel you up right here and there and here and-UGHYAAAHH!"

She received an electric shock from Mikoto.

"Geez... Kuroko... After missing each other for a month this is how you're gonna welcome me? Sheesh... Try reading the situation for once..."

"I'm sorry... Onee-sama... I just... missed you... so much..."

She replied, still twitching from the electricity that shocked her seconds earlier. Mikoto couldn't help but smile at the nostalgia. She really missed the old days where they hang out peacefully, without minding the darkness she went through. Kuroko regained her footing and stood up, beaming up a smile at her. With tears in her eyes, she greeted her Onee-sama properly.

"Welcome back, Onee-sama."

"Un. I'm back, Kuroko."

Author's note:

Uhhh... The idea of her connecting and transferring her consciousness into the network is a bit farfetched, but... I still decided to write it... Well, because there is a situation where you can connect multiple brains with similar brainwaves right? And the sisters used their level 2 or 3 electromaster powers (radio noise) to create the Misaka network, right?

And Mikoto share the same brainwaves with the sisters, because she's the original, right? And she's a level 5 electromaster, which is way higher than level 3 , right? And to random scientists, the consciousness is something they couldn't explain, and it's somewhat in the brain, and the brain uses bioelectricity or something. And we still don't know everything with the human brain, right? And we still don't know anything that Mikoto could do, right? But still, it is never guaranteed to be possible though. It really sounded so impossible. (I'm sorry for the rant. Never gonna do this again. )

I DON'T REALLY KNOW ANYTHING I'M SORRY T_T

Whether it's possible or not, nobody knows. I don't know the answer too. XD

But emehgerd, my grammar's not so good, but still people reviewed... And I don't want to disappoint them sooooo... I don't know what to do anymore. :D

Oh, and yeah. If she's gonna use her sister's body again... That would be revealed in the next few chapters XD She WOULDN'T like to do that very often based on her personality. Because of this situation, I'm still thinking if I'll keep this story short, and that's the most possible scenario. Tehe sorry guys and thank yooouuuu (I'm a person of conflicting emotions lel)


	3. Hero

A certain spiky haired teen rekindled his memories of a certain event.

A month ago

August 21 (20:23)

' _Something seems off about this...'_

Kamijou Touma ran around Academy City in search of the remaining sisters. That middle schooler girl, Misaka Mikoto, asked for his help in saving the 9969 sisters that were being ordered to be killed by Accelerator to achieve level 6.

He just knew her for a day (or not), but he felt like she's the type of girl who shoulders everything by herself. With this in mind, Touma felt so restless. There was something wrong about this, and he didn't know what it was. He continued to run as he panted heavily. He decided to find at least one of the sisters to let them know of the situation. He didn't know what was it for, but he couldn't do anything other than that. As he ran into a corner, he saw one of the sisters, fixing the position of her goggles. He stopped and bent down in exhaustion as he muttered.

"Finally... "

"'What is it that you want?' says Misaka as she is confused of your behavior. "

"Your sister wanted me... to gather all of you... But I don't know why... "

He panted heavily as he spoke. Running around the city is a bad idea afterall.

"'Misaka is still in a mission,' Misaka says. "

"A mission...? "

"'Yes. Misaka is needed to stop Onee-sama and Accelerator from fighting, because this may affect the experiment's trajectories,' says Misaka stating the situation. "

"Misaka is fighting him to stop this experiment, that's why we should get going. We need to help her. "

Suddenly, the clone jolted a little, almost unnoticeable without sheer observation. Touma noticed this, and a cold shiver ran down his spine. He felt something bad is going to happen, and asked the girl to ascertain his prediction.

"What's wrong? What happened over there? "

"... Onee-sama..."

A course of panic ran down his tired body as he heard her terrified whisper. He immediately brought out his cellphone and dialed her number.

"Answer... Answer it, please ..."

He's becoming restless. Suddenly, the girl answered the phone. He breathed out a sigh of relief, and immediately reported his progress.

"Biribiri, I've gathered them all. I'll go there too..."

No one answered, but he can hear faint breathing on the other line. Confused, Touma asked the situation.

"Oi, what's happening there? Biribiri?"

His doubts and fear doubled. With no one answering the phone, a cold sweat ran down his forehead. Suddenly, he heard a distant voice from the other line. It was not Mikoto's, but he was sure it belonged to a guy.

"Are you really that obsessed on dying that you accepted all my attacks? Don't fucking play with me, third-rate."

' _Obsessed in dying?' What does that mean? '_

Then realization hit him like a ton of bricks. _'That's her plan! I'm so stupid! I knew something's wrong, but I'm a step too late in realizing it! '_

"What the hell are you doing Misaka?! You promised me right?!"

He waited for an answer, and he heard a huff from the other line. A female's voice reverberated from his cellphone's speakers. It sounded so weak and fragile, but apologetic and earnest at the same time. He knew who owned that voice, and he was not mistaken.

"I'm sorry, but I'm the one who will finish this myself."

"Misaka! Wait-"

The call ended. She hung up on him, making Touma stare widely at his phone.

 _'Sh-she's... '_

He closed his phone and stared at the darkness infront of him. Everything became clear for him. She planned to die from the start. The request was a diversion, devised for him not to interfere with her plans. He clenched his fists and determination glittered in his eyes.

' _I don't have time for this! I need to go there immediately!'_

"You! Stay here!"

He turned his back and ran away. He's going to stop what Mikoto is planning to do, no matter what. He panted as he continued to run, sweat covering his face. After a few minutes, he reached the railyard. It was filled with cargoes and old trains, and gravel covered the ground. He brought his cellphone out and checked the time. It's already 21:44. As he continued to search around, he heard crackles of electricity. He searched for the source of the sound, and found Mikoto with her sister, sparking in intense electricity. The place was filled with bursting electricity, and every iron in the surroundings dangerously vibrated in a weird manner, like it was following a rhythm of unknown sorts.

He tried to approach them, but was immediately stopped by the bursting electricity. Even if he had his Imagine Breaker, it would be impossible to go near them without getting unscathed. And he also had a feeling that if he interfered, something more terrible will happen, that's why he tried calling her name to get her attention rather than to get closer to them.

"Misaka! What are you doing!"

He saw Mikoto turn her head to him, and she smiled. It was a smile that was sincere and bright, free from regrets and from guilt. She looked like she's already free from her chains, like a renewed human.

"I'll see you again... That's a promise..."

' _Misaka...'_

His words were stuck in his throat as Mikoto fell lifeless on the ground. Despite her battered condition, which was actually an understatement for she lost her right arm and was pierced by a piece of a railing, her bloodied face looked really peaceful, almost like she was just sleeping. But she wasn't. Her body showed no signs of being alive. The gravel that covered the ground was painted with burn marks and dried blood, because of the intense heat that emanated from the electricity earlier. Her sister's body also fell into the ground, but she was still breathing, unlike Mikoto. She was just unconscious.

Then Touma's eyes traveled from them to a pale guy several meters away. He was just standing there, watching the whole scene with confusion and irritation painted in his face. He knew who that guy was, and it was Accelerator, the person who killed 10031 sisters and also Misaka Mikoto, the original. He eyed the guy with disgust, and decided that he will finish eveything in her place.

"I...

"Huh? "

Accelerator turned his attention to him. He was now more confused that a random civilian suddenly barged in the middle of the experiment. Touma lifted his face, and he glared at him with anger and determination that sparkled in his eyes.

"I'm going to finish this!"

And he charged at Accelerator, and the rest of it happened quickly. Touma won against the strongest, but he actually felt really unsatisfied. He could have saved Mikoto if he figured it out earlier, but he failed. He actually regretted his incompetence, and felt guilty for her death.

 _'If I just arrived sooner, nothing like this would have happened...'_

After the fight, he carried Mikoto and her sister to Heaven Canceller and asked him to treat her sister's wounds. He also checked upon Mikoto's lifeless body, and found something really weird. The results indicated that she didn't die from blood loss, but from a complete mental shut down. Her brain died first before she ran out of blood. Her nerves also looked like it was burned, like she forced herself to her limits and suffered the side effect.

But actually, the hardest thing next to grieving her death is to inform her friends and her family about her fate. With Heaven Canceller's help, they covered up everything for they don't want the darkness to be known to the public. Even the city's administration also covered it up, in which he didn't know if he'll get grateful or scornful instead.

He knew that some people wouldn't believe what he was saying, an example of that is Mikoto's best friend and roommate, Shirai Kuroko. Because of this he was actually avoiding her since the incident, because he didn't want his tongue to slip whenever she would interrogate him.

A month has passed and he still felt guilty of the things he failed to do. He just distracted himself by doing his everyday routine like a robot in autopilot. Sometimes he would visit her grave, but there are times he wouldn't. But right now he wanted to visit her again to clear up his mind.

He rode a bus until he arrived meters away from his destination. It was the mausoleum. He noticed that the lone guard outside was actually sleeping, so he took this as a chance to be alone beside her grave. He needed a time for himself, and this would be the best place for him to contemplate his actions.

But...

He stopped as he noticed an auburn haired girl in pig tails entered the vicinity. He held his breath and hid behind a tree.

' _Oh crap... '_

It was Shirai Kuroko. She would be the last person he would like to meet right now, so he had no choice but to hide. It seemed that his misfortune took its effect again, that eventually left him in a tight spot. He decided that he would wait until Shirai left the place, and he will proceed to his original plan.

3 minutes...

5 minutes...

10 minutes...

Waiting for a few minutes felt like forever for him. He didn't knew why, but he was starting to feel impatient. He breathed out a sigh, and decided to just go back home. Knowing Shirai, she would stay there for many hours. He can't wait that long.

He was about to turn back when he saw 4 people nearing the mausoleum. Those people were actually 4 of Mikoto's sisters. His eyes grew wide in panic.

 _'What are they doing here? Shirai is also inside... So... This means...'_

This actually meant the end of their secret, the revelation of the level six shift project to the young Judgement officer. He stood still, trying to figure out what he should do. He needed to stop them.

But he's too late. The sisters were already inside, and he had no means to stop them anymore. A chill ran down his spine, feeling a bit frightened of what Shirai would do to him if she learned about the truth. In the end he decided to wait again, much to his chagrin. He just observed the whole place from behind the tree he was hiding at.

A few minutes passed, and he saw a flash of light emanating from the interior of the room.

' _Lightning...? '_

His curiosity perked up and he somehow forgot that Shirai was also in there. He immediately walked into the source of the lightning. He was somewhat mesmerized by it, as he was drawn closer to the museleum. He was about to enter when the sleeping guard had finally awaken from his slumber. He looked younger, and anyone could see that he's still a neophyte. It was actually the first time that Touma saw this guy, and he sensed something bad about this...

"Uhh... Who are you? Are you a visitor?

The guard spoke up with a confused face. He really was someone new after all. He looked at Touma and eyed him suspiciously. Then he asked again.

"Are you in the list? "

"Uhh... A-actually... No, I'm not... "

The guards actually had a list of people who could enter for security purposes. Unfortunately, Touma's name was not listed in the list, for Shirai insisted not to include him. Thanks to Heaven Canceller, he can actually enter the place even though he's not in the list because he notified the guards to let him in. But this new guy was certainly uninformed. His superiors may have forgotten to tell him. Such misfortune.

"I'm sorry but you couldn't enter. It's written in the rule that only people that are listed in the visitors' list could enter this place. "

"W-wait! Actually I got permission from Heaven Cance-"

"No excuses! You can't enter no matter what. "

"But I really need to-"

"What is this noise all about? "

A new voice rang amidst the ruckus. It was Shirai Kuroko, the level 4 teleporter. She must have heard the rambling because they're actually just behind the door. Her eyes traveled from the guard then to Touma, and she eyed him dangerously. A chill ran down his spine, and another bad feeling bubbled up in his chest.

"What are you doing here, you lying ape?! "

Her glare pierced Touma like the spikes she held between her fingers. A cold sweat flowed down his forehead. How many times did he encountered such misfortune today? He already lost his count. Before he could answer, a new voice joined the conversation.

"What's happening here? Oh, Kamijou-san! You're here for a visit? "

It was the older guard who guarded this place when he last came to visit. It seemed that he came back from a break or something.

"Uhh... Yeah. But it seems that this new guy's superior forgot to inform him about something really important..."

"Eh...? Oh, I'm sorry about that, boy. Hey! Kawaguchi! Let Kamijou-san in!"

"Are you sure about that, sir?

"Yeah. Heaven Canceller gave him permission, so let him in. "

"Roger, Sir-"

"NOOOOOOOOOO! DON'T LET HIM ENTER THIS PLACE! "

And Shirai forcefully interjected in the conversation. She blocked the door, like she was hiding something inside.

"A LYING BARBARIC APE LIKE YOU SHOULD NEVER ENTER! I WON'T LET YOU SEE MY ONEE-SAMAAAAAAAAA!"

"Uhh... We'll just leave the two of you right now... Seems that we're disturbing you kids... "

The guard said while inching away from them. They're actually weirded-out at Shirai, so they decided to get away from them.

"Even if it meant neglecting your duty?"

"She's from Judgement, she can handle everything... "

"Seriously...? "

He faced Shirai again, with sweat running down his forehead in confusion.

"Uhhh... What's wrong with you all of a sudden..? "

"You can't enter right now! Even tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and for eternity!"

She was breathing heavily after that declaration. Touma only released a sigh at this and ignored her rambling.

"Yeah right. I still can enter though."

"Oi, Kuroko! What's going on out there? "

A voice was heard coming from the inside. It harbored a nostalgic tone, a tone he last heard a month ago.

 _'That can't be possible... Is my brain playing tricks on me right now? Did I just misheard it? '_

"Who was that Shirai...? "

"H-huh,? What are you babbling about, you ape? T-there's no one in here... "

A drop of sweat ran down her face as she made a troubled look. He ignored this, and shoved her away from the door. He forced himself inside, and he saw the 4 sisters. There's something different about the other one though. She had a surprised look on her face, something that you won't see in a sister's face. Her eyes also glinted a light that the other sisters did not have. He just looked at her with his mouth agape, and she also did the same.

 _'No way... '_

"Biribiri...? "

She actually smiled at this, then placed her right hand on her hips arrogantly.

"It's Misaka Mikoto, you idiot. "

Author's note:

I actually enjoyed writing this XD This part is told on how Touma sees the situation, and how he met Mikoto again after her 'death'.

It's really amazing that I subconsciously wrote the three chapters on how they see the situation.

Chapter 1: Kuroko;

Chapter 2: Mikoto; and

Chapter 3: Touma

Hehe XD See you again in the next chapter. ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

Oh, and for the other readers' information, a mausoleum is a tomb, sometimes it would include a room to accommodate the visitors. These extravagant tombs were mostly built for rich people by the way.

And yeah, finished editing this chap. (I wish I spotted all of the errors, I got bad eyesight XD)

Thanks to that certain person who mentioned it :)


	4. Goodbye

"Biribiri...? "

"It's Misaka Mikoto, you idiot. "

He stood in front of her with his eyes wide in shock. He never knew that there would be another time that Misaka Mikoto would stand proudly in front of him, telling him to call her with her proper name.

"Wha-what- how-"

"HOW DARE YOU SHOVE ME AWAY LIKE THAT, YOU APE!"

And here came Kuroko, ruining the moment. She teleported immediately in front of him, blocking his way to Mikoto. She glared daggers at him and extended her arms horizontally, shielding the other girl from him.

"I SHALL NOT LET YOU GO NEAR MY ONEE-SAMA! "

"O-oi... Kuroko... Stop that already... "

"STOP? NO! I spent a month waiting for this moment to be alone with you again and this APE suddenly showed up? I will not allow this to happen! "

"But, you see... he helped me stop the experiments in my place... So I think he needed to be informed of the situation... "

"But Onee-sama-"

"Let him be just for today. You can chase him off next time, but not right now. "

 _'...Next time? '_

"O-oi... What are you talking about, Biribiri?... "

"Let's go back to the main topic, shall we..?"

A sigh escaped from Mikoto's lips. She never thought that the first time she resurfaced would cause a ruckus between that idiot and her perverted roommate. She eyed them both tiredly, then Touma suddenly asked.

"So... How is it living in a network? "

"Eh? "

"Ah, I mean you don't have your own body right now right? And you're somewhat residing inside the network. Do you feel anything or something? "

"Ahh, about that... It's really hard to explain... but... hmm... "

She held her chin in a thinking position. She was thinking so hard that her head started to emit tiny sparks. In the end, she gave up and breathed out a sigh of defeat.

"...I don't really know either. "

"Huh? "

"W-well... Information surged into me, and I don't know what's happening anymore. I can actually see where the other sisters are... and I kinda came across some weird information... Argh! It's really hard to explain!"

Mikoto ruffled her hair as she forced herself to think. A sweat drop formed on Touma's forehead, and was somewhat confused of her answer. Kuroko suddenly joined in the conversation and asked a question.

"Then, can you still use your powers just like before? If the sisters were level 2, are you a level 2 as well? "

"Hmm... About that, I can still do the basics but... I really don't know if I can still use the Railgun just like before... "

She looked dangerously at Touma, and a smirk formed on her face. He sensed trouble about this, and sweat rolled down his forehead.

"...Unless I try it."

"O-oi... Biribiri? What do you mean by that..? "

"Haha, don't worry. I'm not in the mood to fight you right now, so calm down. "

He exhaled a deep sigh of relief. He never knew he was holding his breath as he heard her say that with a dangerous tone.

"'I think Onee-sama can still do that', says Misaka as she voices out her opinion. "

"What do you mean by that, younger Misaka?"

Mikoto defined what the sisters were trying to say.

"I think I know what she meant. She was saying that I'm still using a brain that is actually the same as what I had before, and we're actually different identities with different personal realities..."

"So your power levels are not the same? "

"'Misaka thinks that Onee-sama is stronger right now', says Misaka as she presents her hypothesis."

"Stronger?"

"'Onee-sama is actually using 10,000 brains for her calculations, which increases her calculating speed", says Misaka as she gives more information supporting her theory. "

"Wow... That would be... dangerous... "

"And someone is actually using the network too, and I don't want to talk about it anymore. "

Her face looked a bit gloomy and angry as she said that sentence with a dark tone. She was somewhat irritated by that thought, thinking that it was actually THAT person who was using the network for calculations.

She suddenly straightened her back, and turned away from them. She will proceed to the real purpose of their meeting, no matter how painful it was.

"As much as I wanted to stay with you guys, but I think it's already time for me to go. "

Kuroko's eyes widened. She looked at her Onee-sama with her shocked eyes, while Mikoto kept her back turned away from them.

"What do you mean, Onee-sama? "

She looked back at Kuroko with a small smile on her face.

"I shouldn't just use my sister's body as many times as I want, right? And I'm also not in the position to use her body at a very long period of time. I'm the one who told them to live as individuals, and I don't want to be the reason why they failed to do so. That's why... I took this opportunity to explain everything... and to say goodbye. "

This was the second reason she showed up in front of them.

Hearing this, Kuroko started to panic. She tried thinking of an excuse for her Onee-sama not to leave her, but she was too startled to think of anything. She grabbed Mikoto's hand as she walked away, tears brimming in her eyes.

"N-no... Don't go, Onee-sama... I don't want to lose you again... So please... Stay with me, just this once..."

Mikoto flashed her a sad and reassuring smile and patted Kuroko's head.

"Don't worry. It's not that I'm going to delete myself or anything, it's just that I'm not going to do this anymore... As much as possible. "

Kuroko sniffled and her tears flowed down on her face. Seeing this, Mikoto started to face her completely, and wrapped her arms around her in an embrace.

"I'm really sorry, Kuroko... I just wanted to talk and to see you guys one last time. Too bad I won't be able to see the others, but I think it's better not to involve more people into the mess I created. Please forgive me. "

"Onee-sama... "

Kuroko wrapped her arms around her to return the embrace, and cried on her shoulder. She didn't do anything perverted this time. She just savored the moment, the last time she would be hugging her Onee-sama.

Mikoto's eyes carried loneliness and pain, but she never cried. She caressed Kuroko's back to calm her down, and stared at her crying form.

"And please promise me one thing. "

She raised her face to stare at her Onee-sama's eyes. Mikoto was staring back at her too, with sincerity glowing in her eyes.

"Don't do anything reckless."

Kuroko smiled at this and wiped her tears. _'Onee-sama knew me so much. '_

"I should be the one to say that."

Mikoto smiled back at her and released the hug. "Yeah, you're right. "

They smiled at each other. Kuroko wiped away the remaining tears from her face and tried to be strong. Suddenly, someone ruined the moment.

"Uh... Um... "

The two girls turned their heads to look at Touma. Kuroko raised an eyebrow, and spoke with a tint of anger in her voice.

"Oh, you're still here? "

"I never said that I'm leaving... "

"I really don't care though. "

"Seriously? "

He cleansed his throat, and continued to talk.

"Why don't we ask for Heaven Canceller's help. "

Mikoto raised an eyebrow at him.

"Heaven Canceller? Ah, the frog faced doctor. What is he going to do about this? "

"Well... I don't have any idea either, but I think we should try. "

"Hmm... Yeah, maybe we should try that. "

"Then let me go wi-"

"But not right now. "

"Eh? "

Mikoto cut her off mid sentence. She looked at the windows, the entrance, and back at Kuroko. She held a stern look, but was quickly covered by a smile on her face.

"It's almost time for curfew, you guys should go home immediately, especially you, Kuroko. You might not want to get punished by the Dorm Mistress again..."

"Fine, Onee-sama... "

"And you. "

"What? "

She eyed Touma, and instantly reddened. She tried to say something, but she stuttered miserably.

"U-uh, I-I just w-w-wa-ant to... uh... eh... um... e-eh...th-th-tha-thank..."

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Touma's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up, but suddenly winced from the voice from the other line.

 **"TOUMA! WHERE ARE YOU?! I'M HUNGRY AND I NEED TO EAT DINNER! "**

"Could you lower down your voice! You're destroying my ears! "

 **"BUT TOUMA! I NEED SOMETHING TO EAT RIGHT NOW! "**

"Fine, fine. Wait for me..."

He breathed out a sigh as he ended the call. On the other hand, Mikoto was still red, but she was trembling with anger and irritation. She glared at him, and electricity sparked from her head. Touma gulped, a bad feeling rising in his chest.

"You... IDIOT! "

"Such misfortune! "

He was chased by lightning spears as he ran outside. He quickly disappeared from view, and Mikoto released a sigh.

"Why on earth is he such an idiot? Ruining my chance like that... "

"ONEE-SAMA! For you to be flustered by that barbaric APE, Kuroko's heart... My broken heart... WAIT! Onee-sama! You shall not fall for a guy like him! "

"W-WHAT! N-NO! I-it's not that I like him or anything... "

"ONEE-SAMA! With that reaction... I-"

"Sh-shouldn't you be going back to the dorm already? You might not want to lose your points..."

"Oh, it's already time. I'll be going Onee-sama. But before that, please take my advice. An APE like him is not worthy for you! You should be falling for someone like m-"

"Time is ticking... "

"Goodbye, Onee-sama! "

She hurriedly teleported away. Facing the Dorm Mistress was really scary, afterall. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and reopened it to look at the windows. She had a serious expression on her face, and her eyes narrowed.

 _'What was that feeling earlier... '_

She felt like someone was listening to their conversation, and a bad feeling bubbled in her chest. She knew that the Administration might have already been informed of what she did and her current situation, but this feeling made her really wary about it.

"Maybe I should go check it out. "

"'Onee-sama, we have to go,' says Misaka as she reminds Onee-sama of the time. "

"Yeah. Sorry about that. Let's go. "

She actually kept that thought hidden from them by disconnecting her thoughts from the Network for a while. She didn't want her sisters to worry about her, so she thought it was better to keep it a secret.

' _But I think I couldn't do it right now. '_

They immediately went back to the hospital, and freed her control from 10032's body. That feeling still bothered her as her consciousness floated in the network.

 _'Something bad is going to happen.'_ She thought.

Author's Note:

Yo. I'm back again with another crappy chapter. I'm sorry about that. I'm just not in the mood to write stuff these days, and my sketch pad is calling me like "Hey, you must be bored. Draw with me." or something like that. I'm really sorry for the grammar though T_T And the pacing is bad, real bad (that's what I think ).

For those who were waiting for the update, I'm sorry for the wait (and your patience actually ended up being wasted, for nothing much happened in this chapter. Another sorry for that. )

And thanks to those people who would read this (but burned their eyes after reading this crap).

YES. I'M PESSIMISTIC. AND I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT AGAIN. I'M REALLY SORRY. ╥﹏╥


	5. Eavesdropping

"Good afternoon Shirai-san."

"Good afternoon Uiharu."

Shirai Kuroko slumped down her chair, drowning in an ocean of paper. She rested her head on the table and breathed out a sigh. Uiharu Kazari was in a desk beside her, tapping on the keyboard. She rotated her chair to the side to face Kuroko who looked really tired and gloomy.

"What's wrong Shirai-san? Are you okay?"

"Hn? I'm okay. Just a bit tired, that's all."

"Ehh? Is that so?"

"Work has been piling up recently..."

"Yeah... I want to rest already..."

Uiharu also slumped down her chair, her hands dangling freely on her side. She yawned and closed her eyes, until a rolled paper hit her in the forehead.

"Ow-"

"Stop lazing around and do your work already."

"Fiiine."

Konori Mii hit her with a rolled up newspaper to bring her back to work. She faced Kuroko and stacked up another pile of paperwork on her desk, bringing her back to her senses.

"Geh... Konori-senpai..?"

"There's still another pile over there, so please do your work fast."

"This is unreasonable..."

Judgement had been very busy lately. With a lot of incidents happening around the district, they were completely wasted.

"What's it all about this time?.. "

"Just a bunch of delinquents fighting each other at the back alleys. Nothing new."

"Ehh... Is that so?"

"But before the reinforcements would arrive, they already left the scene, so it's up to us to apprehend them."

"Sigh... How troublesome..."

"We should be hanging out with Saten-san right now..."

"You're right..."

Actually, it's not only the huge loads of work that made Kuroko exhausted. She stayed up all night thinking of her Onee-sama. She couldn't get her out of her mind after that, and she wanted to see her again. She breathed out a sigh, and rested her head to her palm.

"Sigh..."

Wait.

 _'Why don't we ask for Heaven Canceller's help. '_

 _' Hmm... Yeah, maybe we should try that.'_

 _'Then let me go wi-'_

 _'But not right now.'_

She did say that she'll go, but not right at that time. Then when? Tomorrow? Next week? She never mentioned anything. Something's wrong with this, and she knew that.

 _'I took this opportunity to explain everything... and to say goodbye.'_

"To say... goodbye..?"

She muttered those words that was once spoken by her Onee-sama on that day. Uiharu heard this, and asked what Kuroko had said.

"What are you muttering about Shirai-san?"

Kuroko suddenly stood up, startling Uiharu. She walked quickly to the door and faced them for a while.

"I'm sorry Uiharu, Konori-senpai. Something suddenly came up. I'm going out for a while."

"Shirai-san-"

She slammed the door and immediately teleported away from the office. She used it consecutively, jumping from building to building, until she reached her destination. She panted as she stopped in front of the door, and twisted the knob. She entered the room, and saw nothing unusual. Just an empty high class mausoleum.

"Onee-sama..."

 _'Don't do anything reckless.'_

"Even though I already warned her..."

 _'You really are stubborn, Onee-sama...'_

She was about to leave the room when she heard the door opening. She looked back, and saw the spiky haired boy entering the room.

"Ah."

"YOU!"

"Yes..?"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Well... please calm down... I just thought I would see Misaka again so that we could ask Heaven Canceller for help... But it seems that she's not here..."

"Yeah... I think Onee-sama is not going to appear anytime soon..."

"Eh? What made you say that?"

"I think she's acting on her own again..."

"Sigh... Again..?"

Kuroko held her chin as she thought deeply. Touma scratched his head, and asked her.

"Then... What are we going to do for now?"

"Do you have any idea where the Sisters could be right now?"

"Hmmm... Maybe at the hospital, I guess."

"The hospital?"

"With Heaven Canceller."

"This is perfect."

"What?"

"We're going to that hospital to get Onee-sama and talk to that doctor."

"Oh, okay."

"For some reason, I can't teleport you, so we're going to ride a bus from here. What a hassle..."

"Sorry about that."

They rode a bus and went to the hospital where the sisters were being maintained by Heaven Canceller. As they enter the building, they asked for the doctor, and went to his office. There sat a frog faced doctor facing a desktop computer, typing something.

"Good afternoon doctor."

"Hmm? Oh, Kamijou-san. Got into trouble again?"

"Ah, no, not really. Can we talk with Misaka Imouto for a while?"

"Hm? Well, I'm sorry, they're not here. They left the hospital earlier."

"Is that so? Do you have an idea where they might be wandering right now?"

"Well, about that, I don't really have any idea. They like to explore a lot of places at random."

"Yeah, you're right..."

"Are you speaking the truth? Or are you hiding something from us?"

"Oi, Shirai..."

Working for a few years in judgement, Kuroko can already decipher if a person was speaking the truth or not. But with Heaven Canceller, she felt something hazy about him. He's a difficult person to read.

"Hn? What made you say that, miss?"

"Just my intuition."

"Hmm... I don't know about that. But if, for an instance, that I'm really hiding something, what would you do?"

"Shirai, what are you doing..?"

Touma was ignored by them, and they continued with their exchange.

"I will break my promise with Onee-sama and I'll do everything in my own way."

"Hmm... That sounds bad. I don't know what your promise to her is all about, but if I would say something, I would be the one breaking my promise with her."

 _'I thought so...'_

"Then, thank you for your cooperation. We shall take our leave."

She was about to head to the door when she heard Heaven Canceller call for them.

"Ah, wait for a moment."

"What is it, doctor?"

Kuroko looked back, and she saw that the doctor stood from his chair. The doctor faced her, and let out a hint.

"She's not planning to do anything very dangerous, but if you happen to see her, please talk to her about her decision. She might reconsider."

She just stood there and thought for a moment, then she bowed her head.

"Thank you doctor. I'll do everything I can."

"Hm. Be careful on your way."

Shirai left the room, but Touma remained for a while. He soon followed after he bid goodbye to the doctor.

"See you again, doctor."

"That would be something inevitable, Kamijou-san."

"Hehe, you're right..."

He then ran to catch up with Kuroko, who was thinking deeply as she walked the hallway. They then parted their ways as they go to their respective destinations.

 _" 'Hey, doctor... What do you mean by that?' "_

A voice echoed in the room. It sounded like it came from a radio, judging by the static that was mixed with the voice. The doctor looked at where the sound came from, and he saw one of the sisters carrying a radio-like object in her hands. The doctor smiled, and asked in return.

"Ah, so you heard us. How are you able to?"

 _" 'We were just in the storage room of your office which is located beside your desk, so it's impossible not to hear your conversation. And please don't change the topic.' "_

"Oh that? It's their job to tell you what I meant. Leave the thinking to them."

 _" 'Ehh... You really are a pain to deal with_ _sometimes._ ' _"_

"Anyway, how are you feeling?"

He is actually talking to the radio-like object that was held by one of the sisters. There was a pause, like the person on the other line was thinking what to say. And the voice replied.

" _'Hmm... Just like the usual. It's really weird to talk using a terminal, and it's also somewhat difficult to maintain using it. But it's still better than nothing. All I need is to wait for 'that', right? Then I'll do their business as payment. That's all I need to do right now.' "_

"Sigh... There's no stopping you, then?"

 _" 'Yeah. For that's what I decided.' "_

"It will arrive in a month, so please be patient."

 _" 'Sure. Then please take care of them. I leave them in your hands...' "_

"I'll do everything I can. But..."

 _" 'Hmm?' "_

"Please take care of yourself, Misaka Mikoto."

 _" 'Stop worrying, old man. I can handle myself.' "_

"'Then, Misaka will take her leave,' says Misaka as she walked to the door."

The reason Mikoto stopped Touma and Kuroko from going to Heaven Canceller with her on that day was because she already did talk to the doctor before she appeared to them. She already had a plan going on, and she knew for certain that those two would do everything to stop her from doing so.

She also said everything that happened to her during the level six shift project because she didn't want Kuroko to stumble into the darkness directly, which may lead to her being hurt in the process. She thought it's better to tell her everything than for Kuroko to get hurt by finding it out by herself.

She's just worried about her friends.

But she's also afraid of herself.

She was actually afraid of what her actions would bring to everyone she held dear, which resulted for her to fear herself. She felt that everything she had done would bring harm to everyone beside her.

She was afraid of herself more than anything else.

That's why she decided to leave everyone, the people who cared for her, in which she also cared for in return.

Once you had already chosen your own path, there's no going back.

And she knew that.

She knew it very well.

"'Accelerator! What are you thinking about?' asks Misaka Misaka as she poked your arm."

"Shut up, brat. It's none of your business."

' _So, the original is still alive?'_

This thought floated in his mind after what he saw the other day. He actually saw the original talk with the hero in her own mausoleum. 'The dead should just stay dead,' that's what he thought. But if what he saw was true, then...

It actually went like this.

"'Accelerator! I wanna go outside!' says Misaka Misaka as she headed for the door."

"Hey, brat. You're not leaving."

"'Eehh? Misaka just wanted to visit Onee-sama,' says Misaka Misaka as she doesn't want Accelerator to stop her."

"Why are you going to visit her anyway? Nothing will change."

"'Uhh... It's a secret! Besides the other sisters are also headed there!' says Misaka Misaka as she said her explanation."

"Then you're not going out."

"'Eehh? But-'"

"No excuses."

"'Too late!' says Misaka Misaka as she opened the door!"

"Oi, brat! Come back here!"

Just like Last Order said, it's too late. She already went outside, running as fast as she could. Accelerator grabbed his crutch, and decided to follow her.

"That fucking brat..."

But as he reached a corner, Last Order was not in sight. He looked at his surroundings, and there was no sign of her. He then decided to call her, but to no avail. He sweared under his breath, and continued to search for her. He searched every corner, but he still hadn't seen Last Order.

"Then, the last place would be..."

Last Order's destination: the mausoleum.

"Tsk. That brat gave me nothing but problems."

As much as he hated going there, he had no choice. He slowly walked the road, leading to the nearest bus stop to ride a bus to his destination.

As he arrived at the mausoleum, he was hiding.

"Why the hell am I hiding? This is bullshit."

But he still continued hiding. He peeked at the window, but he saw no signs of Last Order in there. This popped a vein in his head. She really gave him nothing but problems.

 _'That brat... She'll fucking regret this.'_

He took a second glance, and he saw something unexpected. There were people inside: four sisters, a twin tailed middle school girl, and the spiky haired hero.

But he noticed something weird in this. One of the sisters was talking normally, complete with emotions and without the annoying verbal tick.

"What the fu-"

"But not right now."

He heard her say that sentence, and instantly hid again as she looked into his direction.

 _'Shit. Am I found out?.. I need to leave immediately.'_

He slowly walked away, thinking of searching for Last Order again. On his way, he saw Last Order, running hastily. She stopped as she saw him, and quickly said:

"'Nooo Misaka is too late! Onee-sama is already leaving! Too bad Misaka won't see Onee-sama,' says Misaka Misaka as she slumped in defeat."

"We're going home brat."

"'But Misaka-'"

"Just like you said, she already left. You're not going to see her there."

Last Order said nothing, and complied with him. They both went home like nothing happened. When Accelerator would ask her about it, she would just say that 'It was restricted information' or anything close to that. He gave up on asking her, and just went on thinking about it the entire day.

"Well, not like I care."

Author's note:

Ey people :) This story is getting really complicated. Ugh. It hurts in the brain. I don't know what to do anymore :'( This chapter left more questions than answers. I just wrote anything that popped in my mind. I don't have much of a plan :) (I've been binge watching a lot of anime recently hehe)

I cri.


	6. The Things That Were Left Unsaid

_**Flashback**_

 _ **August 22**_

"Onee-sama hasn't come back this morning…"

Shirai thought as she sat on her chair in the Judgement office, worry and sadness painted on her face. She was really worried for her Onee-sama since the start of her late-night excursions. She was also sad that Mikoto was hiding something important to her, despite being close friends and roommates. She sometimes thought that she had failed to be called her Onee-sama's 'herald' for she couldn't do anything that could lift the pain that was clearly reflected in Mikoto's eyes whenever she would come home. Despite noticing her change, she couldn't do anything. She felt like Mikoto was slowly drifting away from her, slowly, but gradually, leaving her alone. She felt so far away, that even Kuroko couldn't break through the wall that separated them. That's why she decided to wait. She will wait until Mikoto has completely come back to them, then they would go back to the days where they smiled together and faced their problems hand in hand.

If only something like that could be easy…

Kuroko sighed and sulked on her desk. She couldn't do her work properly like this, but Judgement work helped her stop overthinking about Mikoto even just for a while. Uiharu noticed her behavior, and also worried for her. She scooted closer to her and then she asked, with worry filled in her voice.

"Shirai-san… I guess Misaka-san would be alright…"

"Yeah… I know."

Despite saying this, Kuroko was still sulking, and her eyes looked like she would cry any moment. Uiharu looked away from Kuroko and gazed forward.

"I'm also worried about Misaka-san, but knowing her, she would be alright. She never gave up in anything, and that's one of the reasons I admired her."

"Uiharu…"

Kuroko lifted her head, and looked at Uiharu. She had a hopeful expression on her face, but she couldn't hide the worry in her eyes. UIharu continued as she looked back at Kuroko with a somber look on her face.

"I always thought that Misaka-san lived in a different world than us, and we couldn't do anything to get closer to her own world, even just a single step. She lived in a world hidden to us, and to everyone close to her."

"Well that's because she always thought she shouldn't involve others in her own problems…"

"Yeah. But I just realized that I'm wrong in my assumption…"

"..?"

"Misaka-san actually lived in a world where it involved us and everyone beside her. It's not that we couldn't enter her own world, her world is comprised of us. She always thought of others before herself because she wanted to protect us, together with her own world."

"But she failed to realize what her world truly meant…"

"Hehe… Well, sometimes…"

Kuroko straightened her back and sat properly. Worry was still etched on her face, but it was also mixed with a lighter expression.

"A world actually worked with all of its components functioning together, but Onee-sama decided she would do everything by herself. That's why she carried her whole world on her back without noticing that everyone wanted to help her…"

"That's why we are here to help her realize that."

Uiharu beamed at her. Her lips curved into a small smile in return. She then gazed forward and nodded in response.

"Yeah, you're right."

"Then let's get back to work!"

Uiharu scooted back to the computer and continued her unfinished work. Despite what they said earlier, Kuroko was still really worried at her Onee-sama. But the good thing was the atmosphere felt lighter, for their conversation lifted up their spirits for a bit.

As they went back to work, Uiharu received an e-mail. Kuroko noticed it, and scooted near her.

"What was it all about?"

"Hmm… Let's see… Anti-Skill wanted our help."

"For what?"

"They needed help in investigating an incident that happened late at night yesterday. They will be sending the coordinates in just a few seconds… Oh, here it is."

Kuroko felt a chill ran down her spine as she heard this. She didn't know why but she felt sick on her stomach. Her worries worsened, and muttered a single word that came to her mind.

"Onee-sama…"

"..?"

' _I have a bad feeling about this…'_

"Shirai-san..?"

Uiharu's voice returned her to her senses. She then stood up and grabbed her wrist in an iron hold, which startled her as seen from her shocked expression.

"We're going."

"Ehh? W-wait, let me fix my things… Wah-!"

Kuroko teleported immediately without letting Uiharu finish what she was doing. They ended up in an abandoned and destroyed switchyard. Anti-Skill surrounded the place and a number of Judgement officers from different branches also helped in searching for evidences. The whole place was a wreck, with containers ripped apart and rails bent in different ways. The gravel that once covered the ground was unevenly scattered, and there were also burn marks and melted iron everywhere. They approached the nearest Anti-Skill officer and asked for details.

"What's the situation over here?"

"Ah, from which branch are you?"

"We're from Judgement 177th branch."

"It seems that there was an explosion that happened here last night, and we're investigating its cause."

"Are there any witnesses?"

"There are people who saw the explosion, but they never saw the one responsible for this."

"Let us help you."

Kuroko started searching for useful evidences with Uiharu following her. She desperately searched for anything that can ease her suspicions and searched every corner of the site.

' _Anything… Anything… I wish my hunch wouldn't be true'_

"Eek!"

Then they heard someone yelp at the corner. It was a female Judgement officer. She held her own hands protectively and it attracted several people to her. An Anti-Skill officer asked her what happened, and she pointed at the melted mosaic of metal in front of her.

"I-I felt static when I touched this…"

' _Static..?'_

"Shirai-san!"

Kuroko's eyes widened. She quickly ran to that corner and shoved away the people that blocked her way. Uiharu followed her and stopped right at her back. An Anti-Skill officer blocked her way, and she tried to force her way through.

"Let me search this place!"

"No! Miss, this might be dangero—"

"I don't care! Just let me search this place!"

"If you say so…"

The Anti-Skill officer couldn't do anything to stop her. She then quickly searched at that area and touched the melted metal that the girl earlier mentioned.

ZAP!

"Ugh!"

' _As expected…'_

She also felt electricity course her fingers as she touched the piece of metal. Despite this, she frantically continued to search. Even if the static electricity continued to sting her, she didn't care. Uiharu just watched at her desperate actions. She didn't know what's going on with her mind as she stared at Kuroko's form, and she tried to stop her.

"Shirai-san! You're getting hurt! Please stop th—"

"!"

Kuroko suddenly jolted, which surprised Uiharu. It was not because of the static, but it was entirely different. She actually noticed something shiny at the corner of her eye. She picked it up, and raised it at eye level. Her eyes widened, and she felt like her heart sank at the depths of the abyss. Uiharu also saw it, and she also looked as shocked as Kuroko was. They continued to stare at the object like it was a ghost, a ghost that they wished they never saw right at the site of the mysterious incident.

It was an arcade coin.

To be exact, it was an arcade coin stained with dried blood.

The same arcade coin her Onee-sama carried in her pocket.

' _Onee-sama…'_

"Mi-Misaka…-san..?"

"ONEE-SAMA!"

Kuroko snapped. She abruptly stood up, but fell on her knees. Uiharu caught her, but she was also trembling on her knees. Kuroko cried wildly as she shouted desperately.

"Onee-sama! I need to find Onee-sama quickly!"

"Shi-Shirai-san… Please calm down…"

"But Onee-sama is...!"

Uiharu might have told Kuroko to calm down, but she was also crying her eyes out. The drama attracted a lot of people, and a familiar Anti-Skill officer came close to them. She kneeled down to the two crying middle school girls, and asked the people around on what happened.

"What happened here?"

"Uh… They somewhat found something, then they started crying. That's all I know…"

She returned her gaze to the two girls, and calmly asked.

"What actually happened here? What is it that you have found?"

Uiharu wiped the tears in her eyes, but they continued to fall anyway. She tried to compose herself, and looked at the officer staring at her with inquiring eyes.

"We actually found an arcade coin…"

Uiharu raised it up from Kuroko's hand and the Anti-Skill officer saw it. She also noticed that it was slightly melted, and was stained with dried blood. Uiharu continued speaking while suppressing her bursting emotions.

"A-and… We had an i-idea who owned it…"

"Then, who was it..?"

Kuroko then lifted up her face. She already wiped her tears away and she looked at the officer with a dignified face.

"It was… owned by Misaka Mikoto…"

"Misaka… The 'Railgun'?"

"Yes."

"Then, we'll take this for investigation. This coin might be useful for analyzing the incident."

"We'll be searching for a few more evidences."

"Are you sure you're ready to go?"

"Yes…"

"Then do your work."

"Affirmative."

"Shi-Shirai-san… Are you sure you can do it..?"

Kuroko looked back at Uiharu's slumped form. She had a determined look in her eyes as she gazed at Uiharu's teary ones. She then outstretched her hand at the other girl to help her stand up. Uiharu stared at her hand, then Kuroko spoke in a hopeful tone.

"We don't know if Onee-sama is still out there or not, and that's the reason we need to find her."

' _Yes, it's still not over…'_

Uiharu reached for her hand and she stood up, staring at Kuroko's eyes. Her eyes glittered with hope which mirrored the other girl in front of her. She nodded her head and followed Kuroko as she walked away to search for other evidences.

* * *

 _ **Earlier, before dawn**_

 _ **August 22**_

' _Where am I..?'_

A certain girl woke up on a hospital bed. She opened her eyes, and found out that her right eye was covered with bandages. She tried to sit to straighten her back, but a sharp pain pierced through body. She whimpered in pain and clutched her aching torso, right at her ribcage. She also noticed that it is not just her right eye that was covered with bandages, but it covered almost every part of her body.

"Ow…"

' _What am I doing here? Did something happened..?'_

Then she remembered what she had forgotten seconds ago.

"The Sisters! I still need to save the- GHAA!"

She clutched her side with her right hand and noticed a warm wetness spread through the bandages. She then removed her hand and stared at it. The smell of iron tickled her nose as she brought her hand in front of her. Red liquid stained her pale hand, and realized what it was.

' _Great… I'm bleeding.'_

Wait.

She stared again at her right hand, and also stared at her left hand as she lifted it up. Confusion painted her face as her brows furrowed.

' _What the hell? I remembered that…'_

She actually lost her right hand in her fight with Accelerator. Was that all a dream? Or was she hallucinating? She touched her right arm to confirm her suspicions, and it was real. Her right arm was there, filled with bruises and scratches. It didn't have any signs of being ripped apart or being surgically attached. Confusion shrouded her mind, and she felt something wasn't right. She had a vague feeling that she couldn't really explain. She can even see different things and places like she was there. She can also hear different voices and sounds reverberating in her head. This gave her a headache and she tried to control the surge of information in her mind. She closed her eyes and focused in controlling it.

' _I need to concentrate. There's got to be a way I can reduce this pain in my head…'_

"Oh, so you're already awake."

She heard a voice that came from her right. She opened her eyes, and saw the frog faced doctor at the doorway. He smiled at her, and she just gave a confused look at him in return. The doctor came closer to her and he saw that she reopened her wounds.

"You really are stubborn. You should not move for a while, you're wounds are not completely healed yet. Please rest for a while."

"Hey, doctor…"

"Hmm?"

"Could you tell me what's going on? I'm really confused right now."

The doctor's eyes widened as he heard this, and he held his chin in a thinking gesture. He had an expression on his face that looked as confused as she was. She raised an eyebrow at him as she's even more confused. Then the doctor looked back at her and hid his hands in his pocket.

"Hmm… I don't really know myself, but I had guess on what's happening…"

"Huh?"

"Could you please answer my question first?"

"Uhh… I don't know what you're question's got to do with the situation, but I think I'll answer it."

' _Man, this is getting really confusing…'_

She braced herself for the doctor's question. She had a bad feeling about this, and stared intently at the doctor.

"Could you tell me who you are?"

"Huh? Are you serious?"

"Please answer my question."

She looked even more confused right now as she looked at herself. Why was he asking for her identity? Has the doctor forgotten her? She ruffled her hair in frustration, but suddenly felt a pain strike her side again. She then looked back at the doctor beside her and answered his question.

"Uhh… I'm Misaka Mikoto."

"You are Misaka Mikoto?"

"And now you're doubting me…"

"This is incredible…"

"Huh?"

"I think we shall treat your wounds again and you shall take a rest."

"Hey! Please tell me what's going on."

"We shall treat you're wounds first, and I'll tell you the details."

"Ugh. I give up…"

She laid her head back down, and felt sleepiness crept into her consciousness. _'Maybe I should sleep for a while…'_ she thought. She noticed a few nurses enter the room as she drifted off to sleep. She felt extremely tired of all that happened, and she needed some time to rest.

After almost eight hours of deep slumber, she opened her eyes. Sunlight peeked at the window beside her as she winced at its brightness. She looked at her surroundings then to her right arm. She also touched the right side of her face, and it was still covered with bandages.

' _So it wasn't a dream after all…'_

A sigh escaped from her lips. Everything just didn't make sense for her. She reached for the lever at the side of the bed, and raised the upper half of the bed so that she could sit straight without reopening her wounds. She then heard the door open, and saw the frog faced doctor again. He had a clipboard in his right hand, and his other hand was tucked in his pocket. He smiled at her and she nodded her head to acknowledge his presence. The doctor then walked closer to her and stopped at the right side of her bed.

"So, could you please tell me what's going on?'

"Hmm… Based on my observation, you have no idea what you did in that incident."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"From what I have heard, you sparked some insane amounts of electricity before you passed out, right?"

"Uhh… Yeah..? What about it?"

"It seems that you have done something that exceeded today's science without you realizing it."

"Huh? Could you please be more straight-forward? I'm actually waiting for answers."

The doctor looked at the clipboard in his hand for a while, then back at her. He had an unreadable expression on his face. He placed the clipboard on the table beside her bed and continued his explanation.

"You are not using your own body."

"This is really destroying my sanity right now... What do you mean by that doctor?"

"You are using the body of one of your clones."

She choked on her spit. She coughed vigorously, then looked back at the doctor who had an 'as-expected' look on his face. She felt like she was really going crazy with all that was happening.

"Seriously?! You're joking… right?"

"Hmm… I guess that's the reaction that I expected. That's what I concluded after everything that has happened."

"Do you have any supporting evidences about this?"

"Hmm… The sisters told me that something invaded the Misaka Network on the same time you used your powers on one of them that night. They said that it was too strong that even its security couldn't stop it. Plus…"

Then the doctor looked tensed. He stared at her like he wanted to say something. It lasted for a few seconds until her patience ran down and asked him instead.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you sure you're ready to hear what I'm going to say?"

"I made it this far with my sanity still intact, so I guess a few more confusing details wouldn't hurt."

The doctor then closed his eyes for a while to prepare for her reaction. She raised an eyebrow at him then he continued his statement as the atmosphere around them suddenly turned heavy.

"We actually have your body."

' _WHAT. THE. F-'_

She turned pale as she heard this. The doctor just closed his eyes and lowered his head. Shock was written all over her face with her jaw dropped down in disbelief. She also looked like she was almost going to cry as tears slowly formed at the corner of her eyes. She then looked back down to the body that she was using. She looked at her hands, then held the sides of her head with her eyes tightly shut. The doctor then squeezed her shoulder lightly to reassure her. She just remained in that position for a few minutes, then the doctor retreated his hand from her shoulder as he turned back.

"I'll just leave you for a while…"

"… No."

The doctor looked back at her. She dropped her hands that once held the side of her head down to her lap. She lowered her head and her hair covered her eyes. Her grip tightened at the blanket that covered her, then whispered in a low voice.

"… Please don't leave me alone."

"Then, I'll just send someone here to accompany you, I still got matters to attend to."

"…"

"You know who I'm sending you, right?"

"… Anyone will do. Just don't leave me alone."

"She'll arrive in a few minutes."

The doctor then left and closed the door. She retracted her bed and laid her back down. A few minutes later, someone opened the door. The person walked closer beside her, and she looked at the visitor. Both of them stared at each other until one of them broke the silence.

"'Misaka has come to accompany you,' says Misaka as she sat down the chair beside Onee-sama."

"… So you already know it."

"'Yes,' says Misaka as she found it from Onee-sama's shared memories from earlier."

"Oh, is that so… Hey."

"'What is it?'"

"What happened… to the experiment?"

"'The experiment was halted,' says Misaka as she informs Onee-sama"

Mikoto's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she heard.

"A-are you serious? H-how is that-"

"'That spiky haired boy defeated Accelerator after you passed out,' says Misaka as she also couldn't believe that fact before."

"That… idiot?"

' _He really defeated him..?'_

They just remained silent as they acknowledged each other's presence. Mikoto reached for her sister's hand, which shocked the other girl. She smiled at her sister and held her hand tenderly.

"It's already over, isn't it?"

"'Yes.'"

"Then, if we have free time, why don't we hang out sometime?"

Her sister's eyes widened, then she lowered her head. Mikoto eagerly waited for her answer as she looked at her with expectant eyes.

"'Yes, Onee-sama…'"

"But before that…"

"'?'"

"I need to return this body to her as soon as possible."

She then closed her eyes and relaxed her body. The cool breeze entered from the window as the curtains swayed. She felt really relieved after hearing the news, but there were still things that were needed to be done. They remained like that for a long time, until the doctor entered the room again. They both looked at him as he walked near them. He had an unreadable expression on his face as he faced the two.

"So you two are really comfortable with each other."

"Y-yeah… Seems like it."

"But setting that aside, I have something to ask you."

"What is it, doctor?"

Mikoto had an expectant look in her eyes as he stared at the doctor. The doctor picked his clipboard from the table and flipped its pages.

"What are you planning to do after this?"

"Hmm… I need to return this body to my sister as soon as possible. Do you have any idea?"

"It is possible, but it needed some factors to fulfill it."

"Then, what is it?"

"You need to transfer your consciousness to another body…"

"What..?"

Her hand that held her sister's hand tightened its grip a little.

"How are we supposed to do that..? Does that mean I need to steal another life just to return her body? Are you kidding me?"

"Actually, I have another plan. But you need to know something disturbing first."

"Again… What is it?"

The doctor flipped another page from the clipboard and stared back at her. She gulped as she braced herself for the 'disturbing' information that the doctor warned about.

"Academy City's higher ups ordered that I should preserve your body for future study."

"What… the hell?!"

She almost sat up straight on her bed but was soon stopped by a throbbing pain on her side. She laid back down carefully to ease the pain.

"The higher ups seem to know your situation as soon as you did that. They said if our plan would succeed, it would be a great breakthrough. All you need is to revive your brain as you do the exact same thing that you did last night. After that, she will soon wake up."

"So I'll turn into a zombie after that…"

"Well… Not exactly, but I already replaced anything that should be fixed in your body so that you'll start functioning properly. Except for your arm though… We are still waiting for the supplies to arrive."

"Ehh… so my body won't function without my consciousness? So… how about the blood and the heartbeat? How are you going to revive that?"

"That's why we need your help. We prepared the best medical equipment for that, and we still don't know if it will be a success or not. If your body failed to be revived as soon as you got there, you will die as a result."

"I… I'll do my best…"

"But before that, you need to rest. Please take your time."

"Y-yeah. Thanks."

The doctor left again. She breathed out a deep sigh as she sprawled down the bed. She looked tiredly at her side, and saw her sister look at her curiously. Her lips formed into a goofy grin and patted her sister's head.

"Don't worry. We'll make it."

"'Yes,' says Misaka as she felt assured from your words."

"But seriously, it took a lot of concentration to understand everything he said earlier… I'm beat…"

"'Then, Onee-sama should rest for the day,' says Misaka as she wants her Onee-sama to quit being stubborn…"

"Hey! What do you mean by that?!"

Her sister smirked at her while she was fuming in irritation.

"Quit making fun of me!"

"'Misaka is really grateful…'"

"Eh?"

She stopped making fun of the original as she suddenly looked serious. Mikoto looked surprised as she stared at her sudden change of mood.

"'Misaka is really grateful that Onee-sama and that boy who tried to save us,' says Misaka as she expressed her thoughts."

Mikoto's surprised look turned tensed as she bit her lip painfully. She gazed away from her sister as she replied with a shaky voice.

"But… It is still my fault that so many of you died."

The hand that held the Sister's hand turned stiff, but the girl held it tight in return to comfort her big sister.

"'But Onee-sama is also the reason that Misaka lived to see this world. Because of you, she experienced a lot of things. She may have experienced bad things, but she also acquired a lot of great memories. And all of that are the things that composed Misaka right now, and she's grateful for it,' says Misaka as she tried to explain the reason for her gratitude."

Mikoto was utterly speechless. She just stared at her sister with her uninjured hazel eye, while her tears were threatening to fall. Her lips quivered as she was about to cry. She held her sister's hands on her own and pulled it near her face as she gave up her strong outer shell and cried. Her sister looked really troubled with her big sister's reaction as she tried to understand why she was crying.

"'Onee-sama, are you hurt?'"

Mikoto lifted up her face and looked at her sister's eyes, then her lips curved into a bright smile. She wiped away her tears and answered her question.

"No. I'm just extremely happy."

"'Is it possible to cry because of happiness?' says Misaka as she stared at Onee-sama in confusion."

"It is. It just happens."

Tears continued to fall from her eyes as she felt happiness course through her heart. She felt relieved, like she was free from the chains that bound her for a long time. The guilt that weighed down her heart was still there, but it turned a lot lighter than before. She wiped away her tears as she sat up slowly.

"Then we'll just have to wait for the doctor, right?"

"'Yes.'"

"Thank you."

The sister's face was painted with a mix of surprise and confusion. She didn't know why her Onee-sama was thanking her, for she thought she has done nothing to be worthy of her thanks.

"'Why is it that Onee-sama is thanking Misaka,' says Misaka in confusion."

"No exact reason. Just felt like saying it."

The sisters remained like that as they enjoyed each other's presence. They would sometimes bicker when someone triggered a discussion, but it would always end up with the big sister giving up. As time quickly passed by, Mikoto fell asleep, while her sister continued to accompany her.

On the other hand, Heaven Canceller was talking with someone on the phone.

"Would you accept the favor?"

" _Hmm… This is really important, so I guess I'll help. But actually I'm also encountering problems in my job, so I would like you to help me in return."_

"Hmm… Let me hear it."

" _I'm actually in search for someone who could work for me. Don't worry, I treat my employees with great care."_

"I know that, but my patient is a different case."

" _Ehh? Is that so? Then please try to inform her of our conversation so that we'll know what her decision is."_

"Certainly. But what is that job that you wanted for her to do in return?"

" _Actually, some competitors have been attacking us lately, so I wanted to hire a new security personnel because my organization might fall down if it's left unattended. Don't worry, it does not involve killing people or anything like that."_

"Understood. I'll inform you of her decision."

" _Please do. Thank you."_

Then the conversation ended. Heaven Canceller was actually talking to a leader of an underground organization that was specialized with mechanical body parts and prostheses. It is true that they don't do insane things like killing people and human experimentation, but their level of technology was envied by a lot of competitors. The leader is actually one of the doctor's good friends, so it was really easy for him to trust the man. He then brought the phone down and continued scanning some papers. It really was a busy day for Heaven Canceller.

* * *

 _ **The next day**_

 _ **August 23**_

Mikoto woke up on her bed, the sunlight lighting up her face. She winced a bit from its brightness, and immediately turned to the side to block the sun's rays. As she adjusted her body, she noticed that someone was actually holding her hand. It was her sister. She was actually sleeping with her head resting on the side of the bed. Mikoto smiled at this and continued to stare at her identical sister's sleeping form.

' _They really do look like me…'_

She noticed this fact a few days earlier, but she was still amazed of their physical similarities. It was still hard to believe that she had clones of herself, because she suddenly woke up one day and found out that she actually had 20,000 little sisters. It was all too sudden. She stretched her hand and patted her sister's head. Because of this movement, her little sister jolted up awake.

"Oh, sorry about that. Did I wake you up?"

"'No, it's okay,' says Misaka as she reassured Onee-sama."

"So it seems that the both of you are already awake."

"Hey doctor."

Heaven Canceller walked close to them with his hands kept in his pockets. He flashed a genuine smile at them, and immediately reported his progress.

"Your specialized prosthetic arm will be ready in 34 days. I ordered it from someone I know."

"Okay… But how am I gonna pay them? I don't have money with me right now."

"They said you can pay it up with labor."

"Labor?"

"They said that you can work as a security personnel in their company to pay for the expenses. They've been really short on personnel these days, and they really need a specialist for this one."

"A specialist, huh? I'm not that really great but being a security guard isn't that bad."

"The other thing is…"

"Hmm? What is it?"

Mikoto tilted her head in confusion. The doctor held his chin and reluctantly spoke.

"This company is actually an underground organization that specializes in mechanical and prosthetic limbs. They also produce different medical machines, like x-ray machines and pace makers."

"So, does that mean they do some shady stuff?"

"Not that much, but they got a lot of competitors that wanted them destroyed."

"Eh… Sounds interesting."

"So from then on you'll be handing a lot of things. And you'll work at night."

"Then… Does this company involved in anything like 'that'?"

She was talking about inhumane experiments that involved humans as its specimens. She actually encountered an experiment of that kind a few days ago, which left a deep scar in her heart. She's still not comfortable talking about this subject, even mentioning its name. She just clenched her left hand that was underneath the covers, and the right hand that held her sister's stiffened in her touch.

"Don't worry, they don't do things like that. They are most likely involved in smuggling though, but nothing that goes beyond that."

"How can you be so sure?"

Her voice was laced with venom as she asked the good doctor. He just smiled at her and held her shoulder to calm her down.

"He's my friend, after all."

Ironically, one of his 'friends' was actually the mastermind of different schemes in Academy City, but of course, she won't let her know about it.

She then looked at her hands and slowly removed them from her sister's gentle grip. She raised them in front of her as she was staring intently at her hands. After that, she clenched her fists and brought it down to her lap. She lowered her head and bit the inside of her cheeks. Her sister noticed her change in behavior, and just sat there staring at her older sister in confusion.

"Then, we have to hurry. I need to return this body as soon as possible."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. We don't need to waste time."

"If you say so. Then please follow me."

Her sister helped her stand up and aided her in her steps. The doctor brought in a wheelchair for her to stop straining herself from walking, and they immediately went out of the room.

They walked down the dark aisle of the hospital's basement and reached a dimly lit room filled with different medical equipment. As the doctor slid the door open, they saw a tube filled with some colored liquid with a human body floating in the middle of the room.

It was Misaka Mikoto's body.

It was connected to different tubes which were used to preserve the body inside. Mikoto stared at her own body. It got a lot of stitches and scars, and her right arm was missing. The doctor might have fixed anything that was replaceable, but it seemed that her right arm never made it. It might be too damaged to be fixed. She also saw a lot of stitches in her midsection, where she was pierced by a piece of a railing.

' _Dang, that's gonna leave a huge scar…'_

She then looked back at Heaven Canceller and he just nodded at her. Her sister pushed her wheelchair and stopped in front of the glass tube. She extended her hand and touched it, like she was mesmerized by it. Soon after, the doctor broke the growing silence.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention something. If you succeeded in repeating the process, you'll most likely be in a comatose state because of the stress that was received by your body. We don't know if you'll be strong enough to wake up, so the success of this plan depends on you. Are you really ready for this?"

"Yes, I'm ready. Let's just get this over with."

"Then please do the honors."

"Oh, but before that, please promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Tell them I'm dead. Please keep everything confidential."

Suddenly, a few nurses and doctors entered the room and left some transferring and medical equipment outside. _'They look like they're really prepared for this,'_ she thought. She returned her gaze at the glass tube, and the people beside her, including her sister and Heaven Canceller, backed away from her.

"Here I go."

Then the spacious, dark room was filled with bursting electricity. The people inside the room was forced to duck underneath some tables and behind the shelves to avoid being zapped by the sparks. The dark room from earlier became a room basking in bright light as lightning and electricity swirled inside it like a thunderstorm. The bunch of equipment that were made from iron vibrated in a weird manner, like following a certain rhythm. The doctors just stared in awe as they marveled at the power that unraveled in front of them.

A few minutes later, the outburst of electricity has ended, the smell of ozone lingering in the air. They quickly moved to check at the situation. As the dust was cleared, the whole room turned into a melted mess, good thing they hid immediately. Melted metal glowed a shade of orange and red with intense heat. At the center of the room, they saw a broken glass tube and two collapsed people. They immediately went to their aid and transferred them as fast as they could.

After a few hours, the doctors finished analyzing the two unconscious girls. As expected, the girl in the glass tube, the original, was in a coma, but they expected her to wake up in a few weeks. The other girl, Misaka 10032 was just unconscious, but she accidentally opened up her wounds in the process, so they treated her wounds. The original was hooked in a lot of machines to stabilize her. The plan was a success. They managed to revive Misaka Mikoto, and the only thing left to do is to wait for the prostheses to arrive and to wait for her to wake up.

After a few observations on the sisters, they claimed that they can hear the original's voice in their heads. This phenomenon meant one thing, she was still connected to the Network. She shared her thoughts with the sisters, and they act as a messenger for Heaven Canceller. One day, Heaven Canceller got tired of this set-up, and he ordered for a special terminal that they can use to convert what Mikoto would want to say into sound waves. The special order arrived a month later, a day after Mikoto decided to tell her best friend and the hero about what happened on the last night of the Level 6 Shift Project. She might have said the truth of that night, but she covered up a lot of information on what really happened after that.

"' _I have decided… that I will stay away from them as much as possible, and protect them on the sidelines.'"_

"Are you sure of your decision?"

"' _Yeah.'"_

"Are you sure you don't want to change your mind?"

"' _Yes, because I decided to do so.'"_

* * *

 _ **September 23**_

"Doctor, we have received the package from the Yoshitaka Corporation."

"Good, bring them in."

"Yes doctor."

The doctor sat down his rotating chair and read a lot of papers. Soon after, a voice filled with static brought him back to the real world.

"' _So, it has arrived eh?'"_

"Yes. You're the only one we're waiting for."

"' _Don't worry, I can feel that I will regain my control on my body soon enough.'"_

"Hmm… That's great."

"' _So, you're going to attach that arm later?'"_

"Yes. That's why you should hurry up."

"' _Sheesh, don't stress me out! It's really difficult to regain my control on my body in its comatose state. That's why you should wait until tomorrow. I'll show you how much my will is worth.'"_

"Good, I'll expect that. Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"' _If it's about my body… hmm… maybe a bit numb? But in my mental state… I think I'm doing fine.'"_

"Are you sure you won't change your mind?"

The voice on the radio-like terminal heaved out a sigh of tiredness.

"' _How many times have you asked me that question already? I won't change my answer.'"_

The doctor just smiled at her answer.

"You really are the most stubborn patient I ever met, Misaka Mikoto."

"' _You bet.'"_

* * *

Author's note:

This is a bit rushed, so it may contain a lot of inconsistencies. Sorry for the late update! My brother borrowed my laptop for VERY IMPORTANT business T_T and yeah a bit about Mikoto: when she woke up from the hospital, she never knew how to control the surge of information in her brain. that's why she asked directly asked her sister about some information. It's really hard to adjust on something that wasn't originally yours, right?


	7. Welcome Back

_**September 24**_

A bright and sunny weekend morning

Shirai Kuroko sat alone in her room. It was her free day today, which meant she's free from classes and Judgement work. She just stared at the other bed beside hers, which was completely empty. She then stared at the lifeless desk beside the other bed as it was glimmering from the sunlight that entered the window. She laid back down on her bed, as she felt like she didn't want to do anything on this day. It was dead silent, and it's almost unbearable.

Room 208 was once filled with happiness and craziness. It always attracted the attention of the Dorm Mistress because of the loud noise that emanated from the room. It was once filled with smiles and laughter, and it also bear witness from warm kindness and blossoming friendship. It once harbored the brightness of the sun and the warmth of a home.

But the warmth that once enveloped the room slowly disappeared, and was replaced by sharp and icy coldness.

And it all started a month ago, the night of August 21.

Some people once said that if one of the supporting foundation of a house collapsed, then the whole house would slowly crumble together with the other foundations.

And Kuroko started to apply it on a very different situation.

The place she once called 'home' felt so foreign to her, like she never lived there for several months.

She stared at the empty ceiling with a melancholic expression on her face. Tears started to form on the corner of her eyes as she whispered a question that pierced her heart.

"Onee-sama... Why did you have to leave me?.."

The deafening silence was now filled with restrained sobs as Kuroko cried as silently as she could. She covered her tear-filled eyes with her arms as she bit her lower lip painfully.

Room 208 was once her home.

But everything suddenly changed and her heart was never prepared for it.

The piercing silence struck her ears more than it should, for she was not used to this kind of environment. The room was once filled with soft laughter, angry outbursts, and crackles of electricity, but now it felt empty.

And it's because the source of the liveliness that once filled the room was no longer coming back.

Misaka Mikoto already said her 'goodbye'.

And her Onee-sama meant it.

Kuroko let her tears fall down her face as she removed her arms from her eyes. She stared again at the ceiling, and took pity of its empty state.

"The ceiling looked so sad and empty... like it's mirroring my own eyes."

She sat back up from her bed and dried the tears in her eyes. She reached for her pocket and brought out a pink handkerchief. She unfolded it, and there lie a single small four leafed clover.

"I guess happiness isn't really that easy to find..."

As she observed the object of luck and happiness in front of her, a shiny object slipped off from the handkerchief. She swiftly caught it from falling and opened her hand to see what it was.

It was an arcade coin.

It's not the same coin that she had found in the switch yard a month ago, for she found it in one of her Onee-sama's drawers.

It may not be the one that was soaked with dried blood, but it was still hers.

Even if she would cling to the small remainder of warmth that satisfied her heart, it would all disappear if the source of warmth was not there for a long time.

Even if she would call her name and shout it out loud, she would not look back at her and run into her arms.

She knew it all, but still...

Her determination wouldn't just let her give up so easily, no matter how painful it was.

The undying hope that glowed in her eyes resembled that of the shiny coin in her hands.

Because of this, it gave her the power to stand up and get out of this empty shell. She opened the door and left without looking back.

And the empty room of solitude was now more empty as the herald walked out to fight once again.

"I'll bring back Onee-sama with me, no matter what happens."

And a woman in glasses watched her back in sympathy as Kuroko went out of the dorms.

* * *

In a certain apartment, the strongest level 5 dealt with a persistent little clone.

"'Accelerator! Misaka Misaka wants to see Onee-sama,' says Misaka as Misaka pulls Accelerator's arm."

"Hah? I don't want to, so shut your trap, brat."

"'Ehh? But Onee-sama might be waking up soon,' says Misaka as Misaka pleads to Accelerator."

"Then just talk to her in your damned network and stop bugging me."

"'But Onee-sama became unresponsive since last night,' says Misaka as Misaka lowered her head in worry."

Accelerator stared at Last Order after hearing this. After hearing bits of facts about the #3's current situation from Last Order, he was able to tie some of the loose ends. He only knew that the Railgun was residing inside the network, nothing more, nothing less. He clicked his tongue and asked Last Order out of curiosity.

"What do you mean by that?"

Last Order looked up to the white haired level 5 and answered the question.

"'Onee-sama is still connected to the network, but she doesn't reply or react to any stimuli that was directed at her in the network,' says Misaka as Misaka tried to explain the situation."

"So? Why would I care? She could fucking die if she wanted to."

"'But Misaka Misaka really wanted to see Onee-sama,' says Misaka as Misaka wanted to go out..."

"No way in hell, brat."

Last Order stopped her ranting and stared at the door. She quickly dashed to its way but was immediately stopped by Accelerator's grip.

"Stop doing that."

"'But Misaka Misaka needs to see Onee-sama right now!' says Misaka as Misaka struggles from Accelerator's hold."

Accelerator heaved out a sigh as he reached to his walking cane. He stood up from the sofa and let go of Last Order. He looked down at the small brat in front of him with defeated eyes.

"Then, which way should we go?"

After hearing this, Last Order smiled brightly. She enthusiastically grabbed Accelerator's arms and pulled him with her outside of the apartment.

"'This way!' says Misaka as Misaka shows you the way!"

"Hey! I'm using a fucking crutch, dammit."

Then Last Order dragged the crippled Accelerator to Heaven Canceller's hospital without a care in the world.

* * *

After a few minutes, the unlikely duo arrived at the entrance of a certain frog-faced doctor's hospital. Accelerator was controlling himself not to lash out at Last Order, while the little girl just smiled happily. They entered the building together and went directly to Heaven Canceller's office. As they opened the door, they were greeted by the kind doctor's smiling face.

"Oh, hello. What is it that you want from me?"

"'Misaka Misaka wanted to see Onee-sama's condition,' says Misaka as Misaka eagerly entered the room."

"So you have heard from them, right?"

"'Yes,' says Misaka as Misaka felt worried for Onee-sama."

"Then rest easy. She promised me she will wake up today, and she has no intentions of falling back."

Heaven Canceller heaved out a sigh as he stated this like he was pertaining to a different matter. He then stood up from his seat and offered them a hand.

"Do you want me to accompany you to her room?"

"'Sure!' says Misaka as Misaka holds your hand."

He then looked at the white haired level 5 behind Last Order who had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Accelerator, are you coming with us?"

Accelerator shot him a glare and clicked his tongue. He adjusted his hold on his crutch in a more comfortable way.

"Tch. I'm not here for her, so I'll stay outside her room while I guard this brat from doing anything weird."

The doctor just smiled at him and proceeded in his way.

"Do as you wish."

Then they started to walk the empty white hallways of the hospital until they reached a certain room. The room had someone inside, but the patient's name was not written. The doctor opened the door with a key card and the warm light from the room's window reached them.

On a single bed lie a certain middle schooler's body. She was connected to different machines that made different beeping sounds. It was also noticeable that her right arm was replaced by a mechanical one as well. Accelerator flinched from the sight of this and stepped back to stay outside. Last Order quickly entered the room and stopped beside her Onee-sama's body. She beamed at her happily and started to talk to the unconscious girl.

"'It's Misaka Misaka's first time to see Onee-sama personally,' says Misaka as Misaka felt excited."

Last Order stared at the older girl's face as she climbed up on the side of the bed to take a closer look. She then had a somber look, something that you would rarely see on Last Order's face.

"'Onee-sama has been through a lot,' says Misaka as Misaka stared at Onee-sama's state."

Heaven Canceller had the same look on his face as he stepped back and leaned on the wall beside the open door, in which Accelerator stood behind. The doctor then asked the white haired boy from the other side of the wall.

"What are you thinking right now, Accelerator?"

"Tch. Shut up, old man."

"Don't you want to come inside?"

"Why would I?"

"I guess not."

The doctor's attention shifted back to Last Order who was telling her big sister different stories in unlimited numbers. He then wondered if his patient could hear anything while she's in that state because her body seemed to relax from Last Order's voice, almost like she was just sleeping and was having a pleasant dream.

"'Onee-sama, Misaka Misaka experienced a lot of she was brought outside!' says Misaka as Misaka tells her story."

Then Last Order took her Onee-sama's left hand and clasped it within her two small hands.

"'That's why Onee-sama should wake up so that she could tell her stories too!' says Misaka as Misaka pleads to Onee-sama."

After a few minutes of silence, the monitoring machines' beeping sounds changed its rhythm. Heaven Canceller acted quickly and called for his people. Last Order went down the hospital bed and stared at the sudden alertness of the doctor.

And as soon as the other doctors arrived a piercing sound echoed in the whole room.

The monitor that checked her heart beat showed a straight green line.

The doctors responded quickly to this and acted calmly despite the tense atmosphere in the room. Accelerator was forced to step inside as he pulled Last Order away from the sight. The little clone had tears in her eyes as she hugged the level 5 in front of her. Accelerator closed the door for the doctors to do their work. He clicked his tongue again and glanced at the room.

 _'I guess she'll not make it afterall...'_

After a long time of dead silence outside the room, the door opened. The doctors went out of the room except Heaven Canceller who stood on the doorway. He gave them a relieved smile as the room was once again filled with constant beeping sounds. Last Order looked up to the doctor with an expectant look in her eyes.

"We managed to revive her in time, and..."

The doctor patted the small girl on the head to calm her down.

"I have another good news."

Last Order's eyes widened from his words. Before the doctor could say the good news, she already dashed inside the room without letting the doctor stop her. The doctor just smiled at her and gazed inside the room.

"She's finally awake."

Accelerator's body tensed from Heaven Canceller's declaration. He continued to hide outside the room as his hair covered his face. The doctor just stared at the boy's reaction with an unreadable expression as he reeled his feet back to the room.

Meanwhile, Last Order climbed up into the side of the hospital bed as she stared at her Onee-sama's face.

And she was greeted by a warm smile that looked like it could melt everything away.

Heaven Canceller stood beside Last Order with a smile on his face.

"Welcome back, Misaka Mikoto."

Last Order's face was painted with extreme delight as she smiled brightly at her Onee-sama.

"'Good Morning, Onee-sama!' says Misaka as Misaka greeted Onee-sama cheerfully!"

Mikoto raised her hand to pat Last Order on the head which the child received happily. She then stared at the doctor with a playful smile on her face.

"I told you to wait for this day, right?"

The doctor just smiled at her and scratched the back of his head as he chucked silently.

"You really are stubborn. You're cutting my life span short you know?"

Mikoto just replied with a playful grin. As Last Order cuddled happily on her side, four of her sisters suddenly barged into the room as they entered one by one and stopped beside her bed. They looked at Mikoto with a strange light in their eyes. They just stared at each other for a while until Mikoto broke the growing silence.

"Hey, let's eat out together after I'm released. My treat."

She looked at her sisters with a kind smile. Her sisters nodded in agreement.

"'Misaka would like that,' says Misaka with anticipation."

"'Then Misaka would like some milk tea,' says Misaka as she declares her preferences."

"'Misaka would also like some strawberry shortcakes,' says Misaka as she can't wait for Onee-sama to be released."

"'Then Misaka would wait for that day,' says Misaka as she gathered her patience."

"It's settled then!"

"Girls, I think your Onee-sama here needed some time to rest. It's not good for her to tire herself out, and we still have some tests to run."

The sisters looked at Heaven Canceller and they all nodded. They pulled Last Order away from the bed and dragged her outside, much to her chagrin. Mikoto just stared behind the door and squinted her eyes as she felt someone's presence from outside the room. Heaven Canceller noticed this and he also gazed outside the room.

"He's also here as Last Order's guardian."

Mikoto closed her eyes and breathed out a sigh.

"I know."

The person behind the wall was a bit surprised as he heard their conversation, and he dragged Last Order away from the room.

"I think he's just a bit shy."

"Now that's hilarious."

Even if that person caused her great suffering, she couldn't bring herself to loathe him nor accept his existence.

Especially now that she knew everything that happened.

The doctor interrupted her thoughts as he read her schedule.

"You will be resting for a few days before you undergo rehabilitation. You are also not allowed to eat anything that you like for now, for you're on a soft diet."

"Ehh... What a hassle."

She just gazed distantly into the window and let the bright rays of light seep through her skin.

"I'm glad to be back, doctor."

The doctor smiled at her and also gazed outside the window. He could see two figures that was peacefully walking side by side under the warm rays of the sun.

"It really is a bright day today."

* * *

At the same time, Accelerator and Last Order walked outside the hospital. The white haired level 5 was bugged by something he could not comprehend.

"She knows, huh?"

"'Who are you talking to Accelerator?' asks Misaka as Misaka became curious."

"Stop being a nosy brat and mind your own damned business."

He delivered a chop on Last Order's head and she clutched it protectively. Then they walked their way back to their home peacefully.

* * *

Author's note:

Ehehe... Again another weird chapter from me T-T Please bear with me...

I've been a bit depressed these days (but please don't worry, I'll be fine sooner or later) that's why this chapter is a bit sad and...

Weird?

Ugh forget it. I don't know what to do with my life anymore T-T


	8. Concierto of Dreams

October 1

"Ugh... hospitals really suck..."

Misaka Mikoto complained as she leaned her cheek on her palm tiredly. She just woke up from a coma last week, but she was starting to feel her energy go back to her in a fast rate. She was sitting on her bed as she stared at the food in front of her in disgust. It looked gooey and mushy at the same time and it also looked pale, which further decreased her appetite. She shakily grabbed the spoon with her mechanical right hand and gripped it tightly so it won't slip off from her hands. She was still not used in controlling the artificial limb that was attached from her right shoulder, that's why she tried her best to practice using it. She tried to scoop some of the gooey substance with her spoon and she flinched as she lifted it up.

"You call this food...?"

She shakily brought the spoon near her mouth as she tried not to irk away from the galactic goo in front of her. She closed her eyes as she braced herself from the incoming foulness of its taste. Before she could successfully put it in her mouth, the door opened, which actually distracted her from her concentration.

"Oh, so you're having a breakfast already."

"Ah..."

The food that she scooped earlier with her spoon accidentally spilled on her hospital clothes without her knowing. She grimaced as the inedible-looking hospital food stained her clothes. She actually lost her control on her arm as the doctor suddenly entered, and accidentally dropped the spoon on her clothes. She looked at the doctor with tired eyes as he scratched the back of his head.

"I guess I should have knocked first before entering."

"I think that won't change the result..."

She sighed as she wiped the stain on her clothes with a tissue. She then stared back at the hospital food in a bowl and grimaced.

"Because you destroyed my momentum, I don't know if I could still muster the courage to try again and eat that..."

"You don't have any choice, that's the only thing you could eat right now."

"At least make it delicious, the patients would really feel more sick if they were forced to eat some space goo..."

"You sure have a lot of energy, huh?"

She tried to eat again as she grabbed the spoon and scooped some of the food. She slowly put it in her mouth and her face immediately stiffened from its foul taste. She cringed as she swallowed and drank mouthful of water. Mikoto looked tiredly at the bowl and heaved out a sigh.

"It tastes horrible..."

But she continued to eat the hospital food slowly, until the bowl was empty. She drank lots of water to clear the taste on her tongue and sighed heavily. She placed the bowl on top of the table beside her and looked at the window. Rays of light pass through the window frame and the cool wind blew softly on the curtains.

"It's really bright and sunny out there..."

 _'I wish I could go out for a while.'_

"But you're still not allowed to go out of the hospital. I know you're recovering in a fast rate, but it doesn't change the fact that you just woke up from a coma."

"Ehh..."

Heaven Canceller said like he read what was going on in Mikoto's mind. The hospitalized girl looked at her mechanical right arm and moved it slowly. She then stared back at the doctor and asked a question.

"Rehab will start in a few days, right?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Can I do something to train using this arm even before the rehab? Don't worry, I won't do some strenuous work..."

"Hmm... Sure. Maybe you can start by writing or drawing things so you could use your arm efficiently."

But Mikoto had another thing in her mind. Her lips curved up into a smile and requested something to the doctor.

"Then, can I play the violin?"

* * *

"'The area is clear,' reports Misaka to the others."

"'Understood. We will enter the area immediately,' says Misaka as she regrouped with 10032."

Four of the sisters were doing a secret a mission. The target area was a mausoleum. The four entered the vicinity and quickly searched for their target for retrieval. They continued to find some hidden vaults, and they found one behind a picture frame. It was secured by an electronic lock, and the two stared at each other.

"'Misaka already disabled the security features of the target area,' says Misaka to initiate the other's actions."

The sisters nodded at the voice and quickly diffused the lock. The vault opened and they saw their target. They carefully brought it out and made sure that they didn't left any fingerprints on the scene. They closed the vault and fixed everything back to order like nothing happened.

"'Misaka has successfully acquired the target,' reports Misaka. What is the situation outside?"

"'There's no suspicious activity outside the area. Misaka predicted that the guards will be back in a few minutes, so Misaka needs to hurry,' answers Misaka as she filled them with information."

"'Understood. The target is ready for transport,' says Misaka as she leaves the area."

The two sisters regrouped with the other one who was watching from the outside as they carried the target object. They immediately disappeared in the shadows as they entered a dark alley.

Meanwhile in the hospital.

"'Onee-sama, the others are on their way together with your request,' says Misaka to inform Onee-sama."

"Seriously, you guys don't have to do this. You can just buy a new one and avoid the hassle of getting it... And what if they noticed?"

"'Don't worry, Onee-sama. Misaka had things under control, and...'"

"Hmm?"

Her sister paused for a while as she stared at her for a moment. Mikoto just stared expectantly at her, and she continued her sentence.

"'Misaka knows that it's very important to you, that's why Misaka wanted to get it for you,' says Misaka as she said honestly."

Mikoto's eyes widened, and she smiled a warm smile at her sister. She patted her head as she praised her for her concern.

"Thank you. That's very thoughtful of you, and I appreciate it. You guys did a good job."

Her sister just savored her touch and let her ruffle her hair like a child.

 _'Aww... So cute...'_

Then the door opened. There came three of her sisters with one of them carrying a case. They stared intently at the other sister, then to Mikoto. Her sister that was in front of her flinched from the other sisters' stares. Mikoto looked confused as she felt a looming tense aura all over the room.

"'Onee-sama, Misaka has come back,' says Misaka as she greeted Onee-sama."

"Uhh... Yeah. Good work."

"'Misaka retrieved the target,' says Misaka as she holds it out."

"Ahh... Thank you."

"'Then, would this Misaka deserve a pat in the head, too?' asks Misaka with a hint of jealousy."

"E-eh?!"

She stared awkwardly at the other sisters as she held the case in her hands. Before she answered them, she opened the case and nostalgia hit her. Inside the case was her violin which she used before in her practice and in different recitals, which held a lot of memories and sentimental value. She smiled brightly as she ran her fingers lightly into the violin's strings.

She gestured the other sisters to come closer as she laid the violin case beside her.

"Hey you guys, come here."

They easily complied and walked closer to her. Mikoto outstretched her hand and patted their heads one by one with a warm smile on her face. The girls had a content look in their faces as they sat beside her bed.

"Do you want me to play the violin for you?"

The girls immediately nodded with a slightly excited look in their faces, which was very difficult to notice unless you would look closely. Mikoto smiled again as she brought the violin out of the case.

She held the violin's neck with her left hand and rested her left jaw on the leather chinrest. She positioned her fingers on the strings as she held the bow shakily with her mechanical right hand. She tried to slide the bow to the strings and a screeching sound was heard. Her four sisters flinched from the sound as she blushed in embarrassment.

"Uhh... Sorry about that. I'll try again."

She concentrated on maintaining the proper hold on the bow with her mechanical arm. She rested the violin over her left shoulder carefully and tried again. She slowly moved the bow to the strings and glided it down. A beautiful note reached her ears. She smiled a bit, but frowned again in concentration. She continued to slide the bow on the strings as she let the music take her down the memory lane. She then closed her eyes as she embraced the music's every note and its conveyed emotions. The sisters had an awed look on their faces as they stared at her beautiful form as she played the violin.

But a screech was heard again when someone hastily barged the room. The door slammed and there came a small girl.

"'Misaka Misaka is here for a visit!' says Misaka as Misaka has arrived."

The five girls stare at her for a moment, then Mikoto flashed a smile.

"Oh, Last Order. Nice to see you again."

Last Order quickly ran to her bedside and sat on it. Mikoto just patted her in the head, then looked back at the door. Someone was there, and she knew it.

"Hey..."

She had an awkward smile on her face. A 'tch' was heard from the outside of the room. She heaved out a sigh as she somewhat expected that kind of reaction.

"Hey, Last Order. Want to hear me play?"

"'Yeah!' says Misaka as Misaka feels excited."

"Then, here I go."

She looked first at the doorway, and she closed her eyes. She glided the bow to the strings as she moved her fingers on it to change the notes.

As the beautiful music was heard, the room was now filled with a peaceful atmosphere. It felt like it touched the hearts of everyone present, even the guy from outside the door, which he constantly denied. The sisters, including Last Order, had a peaceful expression on their faces.

The music reverberated around the room and into the halls near it. It caught the doctor's attention and walked the white halls to the source of sound. Beside the doorway, he saw a white haired boy leaning on the wall. The doctor approached him and smiled. The boy looked at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Such fine music in our ears. Do you like it, Accelerator?"

Accelerator glared at him before he answered flatly.

"It's fine. What about it?"

"Until when are you planning to hide outside her room? I'm sure she wants to settle things with you."

He clicked his tongue and stared away from the doctor. He tried to peek from the corner of the open door, and saw the sisters watching intently at their big sister. She noticed Mikoto's refined movements as she moved the bow up and down from the strings, creating the beautiful sound that was echoing throughout the room. He stared at her for a moment, until Heaven Canceller brought him out of the daze.

"I guess you really enjoyed listening to it."

"Shut up, old man."

Then the music stopped. Silence surrounded the white hallways until Heaven Canceller's footsteps echoed through it as he walked to the doorway. He glanced at Accelerator for a while and continued to enter the room. Mikoto noticed the doctor as she kept the violin back to its case.

"Hey doctor. What brings you here?"

"We decided that you'll start the rehab in two days."

"Oh, that."

"And you can stroll around now. But please use a wheelchair."

Her eyes sparkled brightly when she heard the doctor's news.

"Really?!"

"Yes. Because we thought it would quicken your recovery."

"Then-!"

And she stopped. She glanced at the doorway, then asked another request.

"Then, can I talk to that guy privately? His presence is turning somewhat irritating..."

Accelerator twitched. Heaven Canceller looked at the doorway, and smiled back at Mikoto.

"Then girls, I think you should wander around for a while. Your big sister wanted to talk privately."

"'Understood.'"

The four girls walked out of the room and passed beside Accelerator. They just stared at him, then walked away.

 _'What's with them?..'_

Last Order ran to the doorway and pulled Accelerator, startling him.

"'Accelerator! Onee-sama wants to talk to you!' says Misaka as Misaka pulls Accelerator inside the room."

"No way brat! Why would I talk to her?"

The situation turned into a tug of war, until the crippled Accelerator stumbled inside. Then the doctor greeted him.

"Oh, I'm glad you finally entered."

"Tch. It's not like I wanted to."

"Then I'll leave you two for now. I'll take care of Last Order."

Last Order held on the doctor's lab coat and walked with him out the door.

"'Then Misaka Misaka would also take her leave!' says Misaka as Misaka goes with Heaven Canceller."

The door closed, and silence filled the air.

 _'I called him here, but I didn't know what to say...'_

'...'

Mikoto decided that she should start the conversation, but it was a difficult task. In the end, she spoke a single word.

"Hey..."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Eh?... Uhh... That's..."

 _'What are we going to talk about, anyway?'_

She thought as a sweat drop formed on her forehead. Accelerator clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned away.

"You're wasting my time. I'm leaving."

"Wait!"

She gripped the hem of Accelerator's shirt with her right hand. He somewhat flinched from the action and she withdrew her hand.

"Sorry about that."

Accelerator looked back at her, but quickly gazed away. He tried to turn his back again but was stopped by her sudden question.

"Why did you save Last Order..?"

He looked back at her and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"It's none of your business."

Silence loomed over the room for a while.

"Then... even if you're not gonna tell me... I wanted to thank you."

"Huh?! Why would you fucking thank me?"

He had a surprised look on his face as he stared at her.

"Ah... Just felt like saying it."

"What the fuck?"

"You saved them, right? I think it's appropriate to say that."

His face darkened from her reason. He clutched his cane tightly.

"Tch. There's no need for that."

Mikoto had a somber look on her face. She fiddled with the blanket that covered half of her body as she gazed down. Then she gripped it tightly as she flinched from Accelerator's stare.

"I really wanted to kill you right now..."

"..."

Accelerator stiffened from her cold words. It might sound harsh, but it actually harbored a bit of hesitation in her tone. She loosened her grip on the blanket as she looked back at him.

"...But I guess that's not the right thing to do."

"Because you're also one to blame."

He said flatly. Mikoto just nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah, I know that."

"Then what does that mean?"

Accelerator asked the question that plagued his mind since that day. She tilted her head in confusion.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"The reason why you're on that hospital bed."

"Oh, that... I think I tripped and fell, I guess."

"Huh?.."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. He could not understand what she meant.

"I guess that's the biggest mistake I did in my life."

"I don't understand you..."

Mikoto smiled bitterly as she gazed away from him.

"I also wanted to kill myself as much as I wanted to kill you. But I guess it's not the right time."

"Then, what are you going to do now?"

She heaved out a sigh as she gazed at the open window.

"I guess I'll just do what I needed to do and wait for my dream to come true."

Accelerator had a bad feeling about this.

"Then, what could that dream be?.."

She smiled at him, and he didn't like it. Then she gazed away to the window with the same smile plastered on her face.

"My dream is..."

* * *

Kuroko was curled up in a ball as she sulked in her empty room. She still couldn't find any clue on where could her Onee-sama be hiding away from them. She stared at the empty bed at the other side of the room with her dead eyes. Suddenly, her phone rang in her pocket. She brought it out and answered the call.

"Hello?.."

"Shirai-san! I'm glad you picked up!"

It was Saten Ruiko, one of her friends. She had an excited tone on her voice, which contrasted the other girl's somber tone.

"There's something that I want to buy at the mall, so why don't you join us? I'm with Uiharu right now."

"I'll pass..."

She replied flatly. She had been turning them down from the last three days. Saten noticed this and sadly replied.

"Eh?.. That's sad..."

"Then I'll hang up-"

"Shirai-san."

She was cut off by her voice on the other line. She now had a solemn tone in her voice as she called out to her name.

"I know you need some time to be alone but, please remember we're still here for you. Even if Misaka-san is not here right now, I think she would want to see you smile rather than to see you sulk in a corner."

 _'If only you knew...'_

"Thanks, Saten-san."

Then she ended the call. She climbed out of her bed and sat on the edge of Mikoto's previous bed. She hugged her pillow tightly as she wanted to do something to forget the sad feeling in her chest.

"Onee-sama..."

* * *

Accelerator was in a very bad mood after their conversation. He regretted talking to the original as much as he regretted participating the Level 6 Shift Project. He clicked his tongue as Last Order walked beside him.

"'How did your conversation go?' asks Misaka as Misaka stared at Accelerator's face curiously."

"Ask her. You brats had the network with your, right?"

"'But Onee-sama blocked her connection to the Network,' says Misaka as Misaka really wanted to know what happened."

Accelerator scowled as he remembered their conversation.

"It's shit. I'm not going to talk to that bitch anymore."

"'That's mean!' says Misaka as Misaka defended Onee-sama."

Accelerator brushed her off and sipped on his can of black coffee. His face showed irritation, anger and seriousness mixed into one as he thought silently.

 _'With that mentality of hers... She's a lot dangerous than I thought...'_

Then they walked home without him saying a word about what happened earlier.

* * *

Author's note:

This chapter started light and fluffy, but please don't be fooled. I set this fanfic's rating as M for a reason.

[I know Mikoto is really sexy, but the M here is not about sexy stuff. I'm still too young for that XD (but is okay with writing gore... WTF? Ain't that for mature audiences too? :D)]

Accelerator stole the spotlight, Kuroko's short appearance XD, Mikoto's dream. Now this is... f*cked up. (especially Mikoto's dream.)

And I'm sorry for the delay~~~

Something happened and my internet connection had gone haywire. And real life events punched me in the face sooooo yeah that's it.

Well, no one cares though. Well I guess some people do.

Ahahaha... haha... ha...


	9. Requiem of a Nightmare

Kuroko was curled up on her bed. After she realized that her Onee-sama left her, she started to feel depressed and locked herself up in her room during free days. She would only go out to attend classes and do Judgement work. She stopped hanging out with her friends afterwards, which further worried Uiharu and Saten. The rays of the sun entered the windows and she flinched from its brightness. She sat up on her bed, still hugging a pillow in her arms. She started to remember the day when Misaka Mikoto showed up in front of her for the last time.

On that day, Mikoto hugged her. It was really warm and soothing as that simple act caressed her broken heart. But slowly after that, the memory turned painful for her. She couldn't understand why the older girl left her, especially now that she knew that she's back from the dead. She hugged the pillow tighter as she smiled bitterly.

"I guess Onee-sama hates me afterall..."

Even though she left that thought in her heart, she still wanted to know the reason behind everything that happened. She wanted to investigate, but she was too tired. Even if she would force herself to continue, nothing will change. It would most likely lead to a dead end, just like before.

Speaking of 'before', a certain doctor's voice echoed through her mind.

 _'...but if you happen to see her, please talk to her about her decision. She might reconsider.'_

Kuroko became more confused as she remembered what the doctor had told her that day. He certainly knew something, right?

Did he expect her to meet Mikoto?

Then, does that mean that she's just somewhere near?

She suddenly stood up and went to the bathroom to take a bath. After that, she changed into her Tokiwadai uniform and went outside her room with a new light of hope in her eyes.

"It's still not over."

* * *

It has been 5 days since Misaka Mikoto started to take her rehab. She can now walk on certain distances, but she's still not allowed to go on her own.

But things like that were not enough to contain her stubbornness. She was walking around the garden outside the hospital without anyone to accompany her. She had her violin case on her back as she strolled happily. She then sat on a bench and stretched her arms upwards as she felt refreshed from the cool morning breeze.

"It's so pleasant outside... But I guess the doctor would notice my escape soon, so I think I should enjoy this to the fullest..."

She placed the case beside her and brought out her violin. She calmed herself by taking a deep breath and played a musical piece. She's still practicing in using her mechanical arm and she's doing it by playing the violin. She didn't care if the doctor would hear her outside, she just wanted to enjoy in the open air. Music filled the garden as she played with all her heart.

But at the same time, Kuroko arrived at the hospital. She directly headed to the doctor's office and knocked at the door. She heard a voice inside and she twisted the knob. From there she saw the doctor filing some papers inside his drawer. He turned to look at his visitor and smiled softly.

"Good morning Shirai-san. How can I help you?"

"Where is Onee-sama?"

The doctor turned silent for a while, then he breathed out a sigh.

"I think you should find her yourself. She might not take it well if I leaked some information."

Kuroko was desperate. She clenched her hands into fists and asked the doctor in a loud tone.

"But how am I going to find her if I don't have any clue?!..."

Then the doctor's eyes turned soft. He was about to say something when he heard someone play the violin outside his window. He breathed out a sigh as he glanced at the window behind him.

"Then let her music bring you there."

"What-"

Then the music reached her ears. It was really clear, but it also seemed to be so far away. It sounded lonely but strong at the same time. It calmed down the pain in her chest as she recognized the person who was behind the beautiful musical piece.

The doctor glanced back at her as she excused herself and ran outside his office. He then continued to file his papers as he sat down on his chair.

Kuroko ran as fast as she could and teleported a few steps until she reached the garden. She desperately searched for the source of the sound and found a chestnut haired girl sitting on a bench while playing the violin. She knew that person all too well as she slowly paced nearer to the lone figure.

"Onee-sama..?"

The older girl abruptly stopped her hands and brought down the violin. She placed the musical instrument inside the case as she kept herself busy.

 _'I guess I should start what I needed to do.'_

She lifted her face and saw her junior three meters away from her. She had an unreadable expression on her face as she stared at the smaller girl that she knew all too well.

"Hey, Kuroko."

Kuroko walked closer as she stared at the ghost in front of her. On the other hand, the ghost had a dark glint in her eyes that looked like it would lead to a never ending abyss. Along with the darkness in her eyes, she had an empty smile on her face. If anyone would stare at her for long, they might run away and never come back. But Kuroko was different. No matter how scary her Onee-sama would look in front of her, she wouldn't run away.

She couldn't run away.

Her feet were stuck in its place. She's just a meter away from Mikoto, but she could not step any closer. She might be feeling a lot happier right now, but there was something different. She only felt these feelings for a few times before, but they certainly were never caused by the person in front of her. Her heart and her mind were a mess.

She felt happy.

She felt contented.

She felt relieved.

But amidst all that, she could also feel things she never thought she would feel, especially not right now that her beloved person was sitting in front of her.

She felt uneasy.

She felt conflicted.

She felt afraid.

She didn't know what caused those feelings. Could it be her eyes? Her smile? Or her presence itself?

She didn't know.

She didn't want to know.

As for the person in front of her, she sat unfazed from her junior's reaction. She just smiled wider. With the expression on Kuroko's face, she couldn't help herself not to snicker. She continued to stare at her with her empty eyes. Something clawed into her heart, but she shrugged it off.

' _I guess my plan is a lot easier than I expected…'_

"What brings you here?"

Kuroko jolted from her voice. A strange chill ran down her spine as she stared at her Onee-sama. She was slightly taken aback from the tone of her voice. Something was off that it's almost scary. Well, she felt scared after all. They may not have seen each other for a while, but she knew her too much. She knew her like the back of her hand, but this person in front of her felt different.

They're so similar.

Yet so different.

She couldn't recognize the person in front of her.

Was she still the same person that she adored so much?

Or was she replaced by something else that she couldn't picture in her mind?

And again, she didn't want to know.

Kuroko couldn't say anything. She felt like her tongue was stuck in her throat. She just stood there with a mixed expression on her face.

Mikoto heaved out a sigh then stood up. She carried her violin case on her back as she turned away.

"If you're not going to say anything, then I should take my leave. You're just wasting my precious time."

But before she could walk away, Kuroko grabbed her wrist.

Her right wrist to be exact.

She flinched from her touch. She's still not comfortable from the fact that she had her right arm torn away from her body, and from the fact that she had a mechanical arm to replace what she lost. She felt aggravated.

So she swatted her arm away, much to Kuroko's surprise.

" **Don't touch me."**

Kuroko stepped back. She felt more afraid from her senior's stare. Her eyes had a metallic glint, and her glare was as sharp as a knife. Her empty smile was replaced by a scowl. Her voice was dripping with venom as it stung the poor girl's heart. Mikoto clutched her fully covered arms protectively. She was actually wearing a long sleeved shirt and a glove on her right hand to hide what was in there.

Kuroko stared at the palm of her hand. The sensation that she felt earlier was different. The wrist that she touched earlier felt unnatural. It was not like how she remembered. It was once gentle, and not that rigid.

"Wh-what was that..?"

"Why would you care?"

She gathered her courage and took a few steps closer to her Onee-sama. The older girl flinched away, but she continued to pace nearer. She hastily grabbed her right arm and stripped the glove away. From there she saw something different.

It was a mechanical arm.

She felt really confused. Suddenly, the older girl's face was filled with rage. Sparks flew from her hair as she gritted her teeth.

" **I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME!"**

"Kh-!"

Kuroko withdrew her hand as she felt the familiar electricity course through her hand. She was extremely terrified from the expression on the older girl's face.

' _Did she just… attack me..?'_

It's true that she was once in the receiving end of her attacks, but this was different. It was not like when she would zap her because of her perverted antics. It felt like… it was meant to hurt her. Real bad.

Then the unstable girl smiled once again. She stared at her right arm as it sparked intensely.

' _So this is the modification that he talked about.'_

It was built to suit her liking afterall.

"Ah… So you found it out. Too bad I won't be able to keep it as a secret anymore."

"Onee-sama… What was that..?"

"Didn't I tell you? I lost my arm before."

Kuroko looked more confused. It's true that she told her that she lost her arm before. But if it's the body that she's using right now, then does that mean…

"Y-you're… using your own body?"

Mikoto smiled wider. Kuroko felt another chill run down her spine as she pieced everything together.

"Yes."

"Then—"

"Yeah. That mausoleum is empty."

She cut her off. She brought her hands into her pockets and stared at her 'previous' roommate with her empty eyes.

"And back to my question, why are you here?"

"I'm obviously searching for y—"

"Oh, you don't need to do that."

"But—"

"Didn't I drove you away?"

Kuroko's eyes widened. She froze on her spot. She couldn't understand what she heard. On the other hand, Mikoto's lips curved into a twisted smile and she laughed.

"Ahahaha! Don't you get it? I abandoned you!"

"Wh-what do you mean..?"

"That day in the mausoleum, it was meant to drive you away from me. It was all an act. But I guess you didn't understand my message afterall."

The younger girl felt weak on her knees. She almost stumbled, but she kept her posture straight. Seeing this, Mikoto felt a twinge in her heart. But she ignored it and masked it with a feigned smile.

"I… I could not believe this! Then, was that all a lie? What about everything that you told me?"

"It was a goodbye. I got tired dealing with you. Well, you couldn't blame me, I think anyone would get tired if a good-for-nothing perverted stalker tailed you like a dog. You're such a pain in the neck, you know that?"

"Stop…"

She muttered under her breath. But Mikoto continued in scarring her heart.

"What? It's painful to hear the truth, right? I don't deserve someone like you. You're just meant to—"

"STOP IT ALREADY!"

Her small hand collided on Mikoto's cheek. She couldn't bear hearing everything that she would say anymore. She reluctantly withdrew her hand and clutched it protectively. The older girl's face darkened. Her hair covered her eyes as she smiled bitterly. She leaned down to her junior's ear and whispered in a soft voice. Her warm breath tickled Kuroko's ears and sent some chills into her spine.

" _ **Do you hate me now?"**_

Her voice reminded Kuroko of who she was before. It was not like the tone that she heard from her earlier. It was different. It was filled with reluctance and guilt. She couldn't understand anything anymore. She ran away from Mikoto without looking back. Tears ran down on her face as she desperately left the place.

"It's over…"

Mikoto stared at Kuroko's retreating back with eyes filled with an unreadable emotion. She tried to go back to her room to rest, then suddenly…

"Urp!.."

She curled up. She fell down on her knees as she fought back the urge to vomit. She had been resisting that feeling since she started to do her act, but now that Kuroko is gone, her body gave away. Tears ran down her face as she remembered all the mean things that she had said earlier to her best friend. Her words tasted like poison as it left her mouth. She knew that this day would come, but she couldn't help it. She clasped her left hand over her mouth and clawed the grass below her with her right.

' _Really… What have I become?'_

She didn't know the answer.

She slowly regained her composure as she started to stand up. Her hand left her mouth as she revealed a sad smile. Now that she's alone, she couldn't pretend anymore. Her tears fell down freely on her face as she touched her cheek where she was slapped by the younger girl.

"I guess I deserved that."

She wiped the tears on her face as she clutched the strap of her violin case tightly.

"But I need to do this… to fulfill my dream."

Connecting to the Misaka Network sounded really convenient. It could increase your calculating speed and you could also gain a lot of information.

But it's not just that.

You were forced to bear the burden of ten thousand deaths like it was your own.

And it could break anyone's mind, no matter how strong you are.

That's why she disconnected immediately after she woke up. But those feelings won't simply go away.

She slowly trudged back to her room where a frog faced doctor waited for her return.

* * *

Kuroko was walking slowly in the bustling streets of Academy City. She didn't pay attention on the road as she trudged absent mindedly. She felt really devastated from what he heard a few hours earlier. Her sharp words carved a scar in her heart. It ached as she took a step. Mikoto's voice echoed in her head and dug deeper into her wounded heart.

" _Ahahaha! Don't you get it? I abandoned you!"_

She clenched her fists tightly.

" _That day in the mausoleum, it was meant to drive you away from me. It was all an act. But I guess you didn't understand my message afterall."_

She winced from the pain and gritted her teeth.

" _It was a goodbye. I got tired dealing with you. Well, you couldn't blame me, I think anyone would get tired if a good-for-nothing perverted stalker tailed you like a dog. You're such a pain in the neck, you know that?"_

Her words may hurt, but the sentence that troubled her the most didn't contain any harsh words.

" _ **Do you hate me now?"**_

It sounded different.

It was filled with a lot of things.

Sadness.

Guilt.

Reluctance.

Hesitation.

Pain.

' _Pain?'_

Why could she hear pain in her words? She should be the one to feel that. Her Onee-sama was the one who insulted her. Of all the things that she said, why was it the only one that sounded so real? Could it be that she was lying earlier? Or her mind was just biased that she couldn't believe her Onee-sama would say things like that to her?

It made her really confused.

She was extremely troubled.

Suddenly, a droplet of water fell down on her face.

"Ah."

It started to rain. She ignored it and continued to walk slowly. She was starting to shiver from the cold, but she trudged the road nonetheless. The sound of the rain and the falling raindrops soothed her aching heart. It felt like that the weather reciprocated her feelings as it continued to rain harder. Something flowed down on her cheeks as she took a step.

It was not the rain.

It was her tears.

The rain camouflaged her tears perfectly as both rainwater and tears fell freely on her face. Puddles started to form on the ground below her. It must be raining harder than she thought. She stared at the puddle as it mirrored her reflection. She looked really worn out. Suddenly she heard noises and someone bumped into her. She didn't see that coming, but she remained unmoved in her position. On the other hand, the person who bumped into her stumbled and fell into the ground. The person was whining from the pain as she tried to apologize.

"Ow…"

"I'm sorry—"

"Shirai-san?"

She jolted up and saw Saten behind the person who she bumped into. She was carrying an umbrella to shield herself from the rain.

"Saten-san?"

Then she stared down at the girl on the ground and saw a familiar flower headband on her head. It was Uiharu.

"Uiharu? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah… I think I'm okay, but I'm now soaked in the rain…"

"Oh… I'm sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention."

Saten noticed that something was wrong and shared the umbrella with her.

"You're cold! You shouldn't stay under the rain like that!"

"I'm sorry. I'm just…"

Saten flashed her a warm smile and lightly squeezed her shoulder. Uiharu stood up and picked her things that scattered on the floor.

"Then, why won't we hang out in my place? It's a lot nearer here. And when we got there, we could talk about what troubles you. Is that okay?"

Kuroko smiled softly as she stared at her two friends in front of her.

"Yeah."

"Then let's go!"

Saten grinned happily as Uiharu and Kuroko followed her lead. They walked silently as they shared their umbrellas to shield themselves from the heavy rain.

* * *

Misaka Mikoto arrived in front of her room and opened the door. As she took a step inside, she saw Heaven Canceller leaning his back on the wall beside the doorway. She was a bit shocked from his presence and jolted a little. She heaved out a sigh and continued to walk to her bed. The kind doctor had a serious expression on his face as he asked her a question.

"How did it go?"

She stared at him for a while, thinking for an answer. Her face was emotionless as her stare drilled into the doctor. Then she smiled thinly and answered his question in one word.

"Great."

She hopped and sat on the edge of the bed, facing the frog faced doctor. She placed the violin case underneath her bed. He didn't look convinced from her answer and heaved out a sigh.

"Are you happy with what you are doing, Misaka-kun?"

Again, she paused. She looked away for a while then an ominous sound escaped her mouth.

"Pfft."

She clasped her hand on her mouth to stifle her laughter, but seeing the look on the doctor's face made her lose her control.

"Ahahahahahaha!"

Now the doctor looked more alarmed from her reaction. After she regained her composure, she smirked at him and vaguely answered the question.

"Ahaha… Who knows? All I know is that I'm having fun. If that's the definition of being happy, then I guess I am."

She stared at him with darkness in her eyes. The doctor didn't look pleased from her answer as his brows furrowed.

"You're going to destroy yourself."

Mikoto smiled wider. She stared at the doctor's eyes with her sharp ones as she chuckled.

" **I guess that's what I really wanted."**

The doctor sighed from her words.

"I hope you didn't made the wrong decision."

She averted her gaze as she lowered her eyes. She was now biting her lip painfully that she could taste iron in her mouth. She released her lip between her teeth for a while as she replied.

"Don't worry. I can handle myself…"

The truth was she was having doubts with herself. After seeing Kuroko, she started to think about her decisions in life. Did she choose the right thing?

The answer was far in sight.

Even if she knew the answer deep inside, she continued to ignore it.

There's no turning back.

Or that's what she wanted to believe.

She didn't know what to believe anymore.

Her eyes turned soft as she gazed at the open window a few steps away from her bed. Heaven Canceller scratched the back of his head as he looked confused.

"I couldn't get what's going on in your mind, but I still wish you the best."

"Thank you, doctor."

She replied with a soft smile. She laid her back on the bed as she closed her eyes. The doctor was about to take his leave when she suddenly called out for him.

"Hey, doctor."

The doctor looked back at her and waited for her words.

"Yes?"

She covered her body with a thick blanket and answered without looking at him.

"I'll leave this place tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll still take that job to pay for my expenses."

"But you're still not good to go."

"I'm okay."

Her stubbornness got the better of her. The doctor gave up and sighed for the umpteenth time.

"Then I'll get you're things ready."

"Thanks again, doctor. You really are a great help."

"I'm just doing what a doctor should do."

She smiled from his reply then drifted off to sleep. She needed to gather her energy for another tiring day. It might still be too early, but she's going to rest.

A single tear rolled down her face as she succumbed into deep slumber.

The doctor left her alone and closed the door on his way out. He proceeded to his office and fixed a lot of papers. He stared at the file that was left on his table. His brows furrowed from extreme worry.

"Misaka Mikoto… I wish you made the right choice."

* * *

"That bath was refreshing~"

"Yeah…"

"Hey guys! I prepared something to eat, so hurry up."

Uiharu and Kuroko decided to stay for the night in Saten's dorm. It was already nighttime as they gathered around the table. They started to eat their dinner when Saten suddenly asked her question.

"So, what was it all about?"

Kuroko stopped her movements and her shoulders dropped. Her face turned somber as she reluctantly said her intentions.

"Everyone, I have something to tell you…"

"What is it?"

The two stared at her with an expectant look on their faces. She took a deep breath before she broke the news to them.

"Onee-sama is still alive."

"EH?!"

"Shhh! Keep it down!"

She whispered to the two girls who shouted in chorus. Shock was written on their faces as they heard what she said.

"But Shirai-san… Are you sure?"

"Misaka-san was buried in the mausoleum, right?"

She gripped her chopsticks tighter as she lowered her head.

"Yeah, that's also what I thought. But I talked to her a few weeks ago."

"EH?!"

"Shhhh!"

"Sorry."

The two girls covered their mouth. Kuroko continued with her story.

"She told me a lot of things that we didn't know…"

"Like what?"

Uiharu scooted closer, feeling intrigued from her story.

"Like the fact that she had 20,000 clones…"

"I KNEW IT!"

"Shhhh! Saten-san!"

"Oh, sorry…"

Saten scratched her head as sweat formed on her forehead. She scooted closer to Kuroko, now even more intrigued. The twin tailed girl's face looked somber as she continued her sentence.

"But more than half of them died in an inhumane experiment. Now Onee-sama was the one that shouldered it all by herself…"

"Oh…"

They couldn't respond properly from what they heard.

"And everything that they told us was a lie. She tried to stop the experiment by sacrificing herself."

"What..?"

"Misaka-san… did that?"

The atmosphere turned gloomy around them, but Kuroko continued regardless.

"But she survived her suicide mission at the last minute, and she lost her connection to her body."

"Wait. What was that..?"

"My mind failed to comprehend that last part…"

She breathed out a sigh. It was really hard to explain complicated things to other people.

"She moved her consciousness to the clones and her body died."

"Is that even possible?"

"I know. That's what I thought before, but she appeared in front of me while possessing the body of one of her clones."

"If that's true, then why didn't she appear in front of us?"

Kuroko bit her lip painfully. She closed her eyes shut as tears threatened to fall on her face.

"That truth is… she wanted to leave us."

"What..?"

"Now things get really complicated…"

She shrugged and ignored their comments.

"And I found her earlier… A few hours before you bumped into me…"

Their eyes widened. They continued to stare at her like that and it almost felt uncomfortable.

"She's now back to her own body… And she said that… she didn't deserve someone like me."

"Misaka-san… really said that..?"

"Are you sure it's her?"

"There's no mistaking it."

Her heart ached once again and she winced from the pain. It was very hard for her to talk about it.

"She has changed… but it felt like something was off."

"Something… was off?"

Saten repeated her words. Uiharu's face looked really sad as she stopped eating.

"Then what was it?"

"It felt like…"

She stared at them with a somber expression.

"…she didn't want to leave us after all."

Then the room turned completely silent.

They couldn't say anything anymore.

Or rather, they didn't know what to say.

They continued to eat their dinner as a heavy atmosphere hung in the air. The three of them had a sad look on their faces as the rain continued to pour outside. Hearing everything was a shock for them, and their minds turned blank.

They spent the lonely night in silence and the gloomy atmosphere remained in the small dorm room.

* * *

Author's note:

One heavy chapter. Saten and Uiharu is now involved. Kuroko's heart was a mess.

What was Mikoto's dream?

I already planned how this story would end, and I cried when I thought about it. Seriously, I cried. Three times. (...or was it? Well who cares about numbers? It's all about the feeling XD)

(I drank two mugs of coffee for this one, even though I had a bit of hyper acidity XD)

Sorry for the delay and thank you for your support!


	10. Shattered Pieces

"Are you sure you're ready to go?"

The chestnut haired girl looked back at the doctor who was sending her off to her new place. Her face lacked any emotion as she answered his question.

"Yeah."

Then she carried the violin case on her back as she took a step forward. She wore a black long sleeved shirt and some comfy pants. She had a piece of paper in her glove-covered hand with an address written in it. She stared at it intently as she observed the address. It was somewhere in District 12, and it's a bit far from her previous home. She folded it neatly and kept it in her pocket.

It was actually 7 o'clock in the morning. Heaven Canceller stared at the young lady in front of him. She looked like an average middle school girl, but in reality, she's far from normal. She's the third strongest esper in Academy City who was feared by her title alone. Her name is Misaka Mikoto, also known as the Railgun.

The doctor breathed out a sigh and squeezed the girl's shoulder gently. He had a worried look on his face as the girl turned around to meet his gaze.

"Please take care of yourself."

Mikoto smiled at the old doctor for his concern. Her gaze turned distant as she replied.

"I think I won't be able to keep that as a promise, but I'll try."

She wore a cap on her head to hide her face as she walked off. Then the kind doctor retreated his hand as he watched the girl off to her destination. It has only been a month and a few weeks since the day that he took care of this girl, but she already had a place in his heart and treated her like his own daughter. Seeing her walk away battered and broken hurt him deep inside. He felt like she was his responsibility, but he couldn't do anything to stop her from treading the wrong path. That's why he was hoping that some people would lead her back to who she used to be, back to the days were everything was basking in warm light. He turned his back as he headed back to the hospital. He still had a lot of work to do.

A few minutes has passed as Mikoto arrived at her destination. It was a large white building. She took a step forward as she walked to the guard who was monitoring the facility. The guard noticed her and greeted her cheerfully.

"Hello there! How can I help you?"

 _'This is... weird.'_

Mikoto thought as she noticed the guard's behavior. For someone who encountered life threatening situations, he was a jolly man. She shook off the thought and brought out a card from her pocket. She gave it to the guard and he stared at it intently. Then he smiled a cheerful grin as he kept the card inside a drawer. He brought out another card and gave it to her. She accepted it as she reached her hand gingerly.

"You're good to go, miss! Please take this with you and proceed to the main office. You'll meet the old man there."

"Thank you."

Then she opened the electronic door with the card and entered the building. It was quite spacious as she stared at the walls. Then she reached an elevator and went up to the highest floor to meet with the head. After a beep, the elevator door opened and she saw a lounge. It must be a waiting room for the guests. Then she proceeded to the door next to the room. She knocked on the door and a voice replied from inside the room.

"Please come in."

Then she opened it silently and peeked through the opened door. She was met by the sweet aroma of coffee as she stared awkwardly.

"Uh... Um..."

She saw a gray haired old man who was brewing some coffee on a machine. He stared back at her for a while, then smiled kindly.

"Oh, so you're the doctor's kid. Please sit down."

Then she removed her cap from her head and entered the room completely. She sat on one of the couches in the room. The room looked like something she didn't expect. It was more like an apartment rather than an underground organization's main office. She continued to stare around the room as the old man sat on the other couch opposite her. A table separated them as he smiled at her.

"How's my office? Did it suit your liking?"

Mikoto stared at the man who was sipping some coffee.

"I think it's great, uhh..."

Then the man retreated his cup and placed it on the saucer. He chuckled silently as he scratched the back of his head.

"How rude of me, I think that old man didn't mention my name... How forgetful of him."

Then he stood up and straightened his clothes. He extended his hand in front of her as he introduced himself.

"I'm the head of this organization, Yoshitaka Hideki. You can call me anything you want. It's nice to finally meet you, Misaka Mikoto-kun."

She hesitantly stood up and reached for his hand, then the man smiled once again. After the handshake, they sat down on the couch as a friendly atmosphere filled the room. Then he cleared his throat as he tried to start a conversation.

"I'm sorry for putting you into this, but my company is in a bad shape. We really need your help."

He smiled awkwardly as he lifted his cup to drink again. Mikoto find him really strange, because he didn't act like someone who's into shady business. He looked like a normal old man who was supposed to enjoy his retirement, but ended up working instead.

"It's okay. If this is the only way I'll be able to pay you for 'this', then I think I wouldn't have any problems."

She was pertaining to her fully covered mechanical arm. Yoshitaka smiled and placed his cup down.

"What do you think of our product? Is it nice?"

Then she moved her arm slightly and stared at it.

"It's great. I like those modifications that you did into this, and I'm impressed."

"I'm glad you like it."

Then he brought out a file from under the table and read it.

"Hmm... You'll be living here as you work, so please feel at home. Your room is in the floor below here, and it's number 124."

Then he flipped a page as his brows furrowed.

"And you'll be having some teammates for the job. Is that okay with you?"

He lifted his gaze and stared at the girl. Mikoto replied without looking back at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine with that."

"So after this, you can fix your things in your room, then after an hour you will be meeting them in this room. They're a handful bunch, please be patient with them."

Mikoto couldn't help but stare at this man. She couldn't understand him. It felt like he shouldn't belong to this world, but she thought it's not good to judge other people without knowing them thoroughly. She focused her mind and asked about the situation.

"Yoshitaka-san, I heard that you hired me because your company is being attacked by your competitors. Have you known who's the culprit?"

Then he chuckled awkwardly after he finished his coffee.

"Straight forward, eh? I still don't know who it was, and I think you would be able to help us pinpoint them to stop this turmoil."

"Then I guess I'll need to work on that."

Then Yoshitaka stood up and walked near the window. He had a sad smile on his face as he gazed outside with distant eyes.

"I don't want to lose anyone again, especially those children."

Then he stared back at Mikoto who had an unreadable expression on her face. It was a mixture of shock and something indescribable. She felt her lips tugging into another twisted grin, but she prevented it from showing. She tried to muster a vague facial expression to hide the weird feeling that was bubbling in her chest. Something about this man never failed to bewilder her, but it also pissed her to an extent. She kept all of her thoughts inside as she stared back at him.

Suddenly, the humble old man did something unexpected. He bowed his head with his torso to express his wish. His hands curled into fists as his arms rested on his side.

"So please, help me. Help us."

Then the bubbling feeling abruptly disappeared. She let her weak self take over her. She glanced away as she held her forehead on her palm, her fingers clutching on her hair. Something warm and painful flooded in her chest as she felt her tears form in her eyes. She gritted her teeth as she tightly shut her eyes.

Yoshitaka stared at her with a worried expression. He was a bit shocked from her reaction as he lifted his face from his earlier action. He suddenly remembered that Heaven Canceller once told him that this girl was a special case, and she should be handled with extra care. He stepped closer to the young girl and asked worriedly.

"Are you alright..?"

"I don't understand you..."

She opened her eyes but she didn't look at him. She just stared in front of her with distant eyes as she opened her quivering lips once again to continue her answer.

"...But if that's what you want, then I'll do my best."

Her grip on her hair tightened as her chest constricted. Something desperately clawed at the back of her head, waiting to be released. The 'sensation' in her head wanted to fight for her and to be strong for her, but she didn't want 'it' to come out and take her place at this moment. She can feel that the man named Yoshitaka Hideki needed her help, and she couldn't decline.

They were standing on the same plane.

But the way on how they handle things was the wall that separated them.

She was a bit envious of this man, because it was easy for him to ask help from others. Unlike her, who carried everything alone on her battered back.

The man approached her and patted her head. She glanced up from the sudden action and tearfully stared at him. She was greeted by a gentle smile and some reassuring words.

"I don't know what you're feeling right now, but I'm glad that you decided to help us. I want to thank you for accepting my request."

Then she slowly regained her composure as she wiped her teary eyes. She stood up from the couch and carried her things with her.

"I guess I'll just rest for a while... I'll be back for the meeting."

"Sure. Do you want me to accompany you?"

"No, I'm okay. I can handle myself."

Then she walked out of the room, leaving the old man by himself. He held his chin as he thought deeply. He somewhat regretted involving a young girl like her in this situation, especially from what he saw earlier. But this was his only chance. He needed to save his 'family' with her help, and he will save her in return. He will do it not because his friend asked for his assistance, but because that girl needed his guidance. Misaka Mikoto was lost, and he will aid her to bring her back. He might not be able to completely bring back who she was with just his help alone, but he will be the first step for those people who would eventually do the job completely. Even if the situation is a bit unfavorable for her condition, he will mold her back to her original state.

He breathed out a sigh as he picked up his empty cup to refill it.

"Heaven Canceller, I think you're dumping me with tedious workloads again... But I guess it's not that bad if I'll be of help to someone."

Then he was left to think for himself in his casual-looking office with a cup of coffee in hand.

* * *

Misaka Mikoto sat on her bed with her knees in front of her chest. She didn't know what she was feeling earlier. The clawing sensation in the back of her head was struggling desperately. She held her head protectively as she tried to stifle her sobs and tightly shut her eyes.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms rest on her shoulders and circled around her upper body from behind. It was gentle, and it might just be her imagination. But she didn't struggle from its grasp, she just remained silent and leaned on the cold sensation on her back. The desperate clawing in her head stopped as the sensation itself took form in her conscious mind.

 _"Why did you resist me earlier?"_

The voice rested its head on her shoulder. It didn't sound angry or anything, it's more like it was begging for an answer. Mikoto moved her hands away from her head and placed it on her knees. Her fists clenched tightly as she desperately seek for an answer.

The voice sighed and hugged her tighter. It felt like it was there, but it wasn't truly there. Or was it? She didn't know. It would just appear if she needed some strength in a hopeless situation, making everything seem easier. But it was showing up more often lately, and it would take her place when she felt weak. She opened her eyes and gazed forward. She didn't need to look at the voice on her back, they're just the same person afterall.

 _"I told you that I'll be here for you, right? Even if the world would hate you, I won't. I know that our actions had an effect on you, but please bear with it. I don't want to hurt you, but it's the only choice we have."_

"But..."

She finally stared at the being who was resting on her shoulder. It had the same chestnut colored hair and fair skin. It's hazel eyes glowed in the darkness as it smiled a twisted and frightening grin. It sneered closer to her face and stared at her dead eyes.

"...You could only say that because we are one, right?"

Then it snickered as it grinned wider. They just continued to stare at each other closely without breaking eye contact.

 _"Yeah, that's the point. You can only rely on me, on yourself, so that we would continue to exist together..."_

Then it moved to whisper her the words that sounded like music to her ears.

 _ **"...and perish together."**_

Then a smirk crept on Mikoto's face that mirrored the being that was leaning on her ears. She embraced it in return and held it's chin. She leaned closer to its face until their foreheads touched. It giggled from their close proximity as it's arms circled around her neck in a lovingly manner.

"Yeah, you're right."

Then the whole hour passed by quickly as 'they' savored each other's embrace. Mikoto headed to the door as her other self disappeared and went back to were it belong. She straightened her clothes before she completely went out of the room with a vague expression on her face.

* * *

"I guess the usual cast is here."

A blonde girl wearing a short skirt sat comfortably on the couch. She had an arrogant look on her face as she stared at the awkward bunch in front of her.

"Oh, we will have a new teammate, right? It has been a long time since pops here adopted another family member."

A black haired teenager smiled cheerfully as he rested the back of his head on his arms in a lax manner. He wore a red shirt under an unbuttoned black winter uniform.

"Hmm... I wonder what she's like."

A big man in his thirties held his chin in a thinking gesture. His brown spiky hair stood on its ends like stalagmites in a crystal cave.

"You kids should just wait. She'll arrive soon."

Yoshitaka Hideki stood behind a couch with a kid sitting on it. She had a notebook in her hand as she scribbled on a page. After that she showed the note to the other residents and they read it.

It read 'I wish she's a nice person.'

Yoshitaka smiled and patted the little girl's head. She smiled sweetly as she joyfully accepted the action.

"Don't worry, she's a good kid. Just be careful with your words and actions though."

"Huh? Wha-"

"Speaking of the devil..."

The black haired boy was cut off by the sound of the door opening. From there came a chestnut haired girl with her hands in her pockets. She had a creepy aura around her, and her face lacked any emotion. She avoided eye contact with anyone in the room as she walked beside the old man who was smiling at her.

"Everyone, she's your new teammate. Mikoto-kun, please introduce yourself to them."

Mikoto just stared at the old man with a raised eyebrow, then he cleared his throat.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. Her personal information is a bit confidential, so it's not allowed to speak of it out loud. Just call her Mikoto for the time being."

The three other people in the room stared at her with wary and confused look. Suddenly, the small girl with a notebook approached her and showed her a page.

'I'm Yoshitaka Yui. It's nice to meet you, Mikoto nee-chan!"

Mikoto read the note carefully and noticed the little girl's surname. Yoshitaka chuckled as he held Yui's shoulders.

"She's my granddaughter, and she lost her voice in an incident. Don't worry, she's just here to meet you."

She nodded and looked back at the little girl. She had a sweet smile on her face as she looked up at the taller girl. Mikoto couldn't resist kids, that's why she knelt down in front of her. She patted her head and smiled tenderly.

"Un. Nice to meet you too."

The little girl brightened up and wrote again on her notebook. It said:

'Smile more. It suits you.'

Then Mikoto chuckled silently as she scratched her head. This girl was just too cute for her. She couldn't help but revert back on who she used to be in front of children.

"I'm sorry about that, but I guess I shouldn't do it that often."

"?"

The girl stared at her in confusion. Her gaze turned distant as she stood up from her position as a sad smile adorned her face.

"A lot of things happened, and I think I don't have the right to do that anymore."

Then the creepy aura came back around her and the little girl hid behind her grandpa. She was not afraid of her, but she just felt like it's better to step away from the older girl. The two guys from the group gulped from the sudden change in atmosphere. Suddenly, the blonde girl stood up and reached her hand. Mikoto stared at her hand with an unreadable expression.

"I'm Miyamoto Miharu. I've been here for two years, so that means I'm your senpai. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She shook hands with her as she stared the girl warily. The atmosphere turned tense as the two girls stared at each other. Miharu had a devious smile on her face while Mikoto stared at her with a sharp glare. As they retreated their hands, the blonde crossed her arms around her chest and questioned her.

"I wonder, Mikoto-san. Why is it that your personal information, even your name, is treated as confidential? I'm just curious, though."

"Oi, Miharu."

The spiky haired man scolded her. She just ignored him and stared arrogantly at the newcomer. Mikoto just breathed out a sigh and hid her hands in her pockets.

"It's none of your business. Yoshitaka-san accepted me here, and he offered to hide my identity. And you wouldn't believe it even if I tell you anyway."

The two girls glared at each other. Yoshitaka suddenly interjected as he felt that the atmosphere grew heavier by each passing second.

"Okay, Miharu-kun, Mikoto-kun, stop this. It's not good to start a fight with each other, especially that Yui is watching."

The two girls stared at him and calmed down immediately. Miharu sat back on the couch as she pouted like a child. Mikoto just stood on her position with a bored look on her face.

"Ahem. So I guess I'll finally introduce myself."

The spiky haired man bowed his head as he said his introductions.

"I'm Tsuguro Takehito. I forced Yoshitaka-san to put me in this job so that I'll be able to help him with his problems. I hope we'll get along."

Yoshitaka laughed silently from his words as he held Yui's small hands. The black haired boy suddenly stood up and pointed at himself.

"I'm Ueda Shigeru. I also forced Yoshitaka-san to let me work here so that I'll be able to repay him from everything that he did for us. I still had a little brother to care of, so I guess this job helped me a lot."

Shigeru said with a grin. Mikoto just stared at Yoshitaka who was smiling awkwardly from their introductions.

"They forced you?"

"Yeah, these kids are really persistent. Even though I don't want them to get hurt, they started spouting things like 'we're a family, right?!' and forced their way in. They trusted me with their lives, so I'll trust them in return."

Mikoto clenched her fists as her hair hid her eyes. She gritted her teeth as the other people in the room, except Yoshitaka, backed away.

"You..."

The old man just stood calmly in front of her. This made her feel more infuriated as an invisible static filled their senses.

"You involved them just like that? What are you going to do if they get heavily injured? Or worse, what if they died? Don't you care about that?! You're unbelievable...!"

Then a hand touched her shoulder. She jolted up and saw Yoshitaka smiling at her. Again. The four stared at the scene as they felt the tingling sensation hanging in the air. They didn't know what caused it, but it sent a chill down their spine. The old man gently squeezed her shoulder to calm her down, even though he could feel the surging static that coursed through his fingertips.

"I know that, that's why I asked for your help. With your power, you would be able to keep everyone safe. What more if everyone worked together? Then we will be an unformidable force that can shake any problem away. We will save each other, and no one will die. If people got hurt, no one's at fault. And I got the best doctor in the whole world as my friend. Don't worry, as long as we work together, no one will die."

Then a bulb exploded as blue electricity darted out of her. Everyone was surprised from the sudden crash as they prepared themselves for another attack. But Yoshitaka stood unfazed from his position, with determination burning in his eyes. Mikoto trembled from the man's words. She couldn't understand him.

"You think I would be able to save all of them? Don't fuck with me..."

Another light bulb exploded as she held her head. Shigeru was infuriated from her words as he abruptly stood between them.

"Hey you! How dare you speak to him like that!"

"Shigeru-kun, stop."

He glanced back at the old man with a surprised look.

"But she can't just talk to you like that, old man! She just-"

"That's why she's a special case, and I'm here, I mean we're here, to fix her."

"Huh?! What do you-"

"Take a look at her."

Shigeru looked back at her and observed her. He was shocked at what he saw. Tears fell freely on her face as she restrained her sobs.

She was crying.

"Wha..."

"No matter how strong I am, in the end, I couldn't save them. Because of me, a lot of them died. If I didn't give them my DNA map, this shouldn't be happening. If I couldn't even save my own sisters, how are you supposed to trust me in saving these people who I barely know?"

Then Yoshitaka breathed out a sigh. Shigeru stepped aside with confusion painted on his face. He couldn't understand anything that she said, but he could feel that something was wrong with her.

"But you're not alone right now."

"Eh?"

She snapped her head up and stared at the old man's eyes. It glowed a light that showed his maturity and experience. His eyes had been a witness from a lot of hardships in life, and she could see it. And she could feel 'it' again, clawing in the back of her head.

"You handled everything alone, right? You never tried to seek for help from other people. You might end up broken if you continued that way."

"Broken, huh..."

She repeated that word and turned her back. She weakly reached for the door and held the knob tightly. The tone of her voice changed into a calmer one as she opened it slightly.

"I really couldn't understand you, Yoshitaka-san, I guess I'll just let it go for now."

Shigeru, Miharu, and Takehito stared at her. She's the one they couldn't understand. They didn't know what to think of her from what they saw earlier. Yoshitaka just shook his head and smiled tiredly.

"You should rest for a while. And I left a notebook inside one of the drawers in your room. You could write anything that you want."

"Thanks."

The door was closed without her looking back. The people in the room breathed out a sigh of relief. It was so intense that they held their breaths for long. Yui stared at the door as she raised her notebook for everyone to see.

'Is she alright?'

She had a worried expression on her face as she waited for her grandfather's answer. Yoshitaka smiled as he knelt down in front of her.

"She'll be fine. She just needs to rest for a while."

Then Yui nodded, satisfied from his reply. Shigeru shivered as he felt a chill ran down his spine.

"She's scary..."

Miharu crossed her arms and questioned the old man about his decisions.

"Yoshitaka-san, why did you let a crazy girl like her enter this facility? We can handle everything without her."

Then Yoshitaka stared at her with a serious look on his face. It was rare to see him like this, and they all froze in their positions.

"She's not crazy, just a bit unstable. With the amount of power that she holds, I know that she could help us."

"Huh? What do you mean? Do you think she's really powerful?"

Takehito interjected in their conversation. Yoshitaka smiled as he stared at the broken pieces of glass that once formed the circular light bulb from the ceiling.

"She's restraining herself so hard, and the compensation for that were two light bulbs. I guess that's impressive enough."

Then he raised his twitching hand at eye level and showed it to the people around him.

"And look at my hand! I just touched her shoulder for a while, and I get all tingly with electricity!"

He exclaimed in an excited tone. Miharu stared at him with a raised eyebrow as she walked to the door. She excused herself as she reached for the metallic doorknob.

"The meeting is over. I'll just rest in my room fo-"

She was cut off by the sensation that coursed through her hand. She flinched her hand away from the doorknob as she stared at it warily. She tried to touch it again, and she was zapped as a result. Shigeru and Takehito stared at her reaction while Yoshitaka laughed at her.

"Wh-what was that?"

"Hahaha! I think she charged the doorknob subconsciously. We'll just have to use a rubber glove to insulate it."

Then Miharu stared back at him with an irritated expression on her face.

"Then do you have a rubber glove there?"

"..."

Yoshitaka froze from her question. She couldn't understand his reaction as she placed her hands on her hips.

"What?"

"I don't."

Then the three teammates in the room stood dumbfounded from the sudden realization that they will stay there until the door is safe enough to open. Yoshitaka laughed it off as he walked to brew his special black coffee with his coffee machine, until he realized that it was also broken. Yui curiously stared at the older people around her who had the same look on their faces. She couldn't understand why they were so gloomy all of a sudden as she plopped down on the couch.

* * *

Shigeru walked in the hallways of the floor below the main office. He breathed out a sigh as he hid his hands inside his pockets. He was scanning the room numbers as he searched a certain room. He stopped in front of a room with the number 124 inscribed on the door. He scratched his head as he stared awkwardly at the door.

 _'How should I talk to her?'_

It's already lunchtime, so Yoshitaka asked Shigeru to call Mikoto from her room. He complained at first, but he thought it would be better to apologize to her, so he obliged. He endured the static from the doorknob and shakily opened the door. He didn't know if the old man asked him to inform her, or just that he would be the one to open the damned door. Everyone in the room snickered at his struggle as he glared at them with shaky eyes.

So now he nervously stood in front of her room, and he didn't know how to start.

He thought that he should knock on the door, but he heard something from the inside. He knew that eavesdropping is bad, but his curiosity was unbearable. So he leaned his ear on the door to hear what was happening inside the room.

At first, it was dead silent, so he decided to draw back. But as soon as he tried to lean away, he heard her voice. So he tried to listen carefully through the door once again, and he heard her talking distantly.

 _"...982...9983...998...9986...9988...9..."_

 _'Numbers...?'_

He felt a chill ran down his spine and immediately backed away. He didn't know why, but it felt like he made a huge mistake by listening through the door. Sweat formed on his forehead as he tried to knock on the door, but before he could do it, the door opened. He was greeted by a pale girl standing on the doorway. He immediately backed away and posed a defensive stance.

"W-woah! What a coincidence! S-so this is your room! Hahaha! I-I'm not doing anything wrong, though..."

Sweat rolled down on his face as Mikoto stared at him. She leaned her back on the door frame and crossed her arms over her chest. She closed her eyes and asked him tiredly.

"So, what do you want?"

"Ah... Eh... I-I'm just walking around the hallways..."

"You've been standing in front of my room for 20 minutes, and it's getting really irritating so I opened the door. You could knock, you know..."

She opened an eye to peek at the nervous boy in front of her. Shigeru gulped as he brought down his defensive stance.

"Y-you noticed...?"

"Yeah. So, what is it that you want from me?"

He scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly. He felt like he should just disappear from his spot as the girl stared at him with a sharp glare.

"T-the old man wanted me to inform you that it's already lunchtime, so please go downstairs and eat with us."

"Ah. Yeah, sure."

She walked away from him with her hands in her pockets. Shigeru wanted to say something to her, but he stood still. He tried to call out for her to get her attention.

"H-hey..."

Mikoto looked back and stared at him curiously. Shigeru clenched his fists and bowed his head down.

"I'm sorry for what I did earlier..."

Her eyes widened for a while, then it turned distant. She turned her back and gazed forward. Shigeru lifted his head and stared at her trembling form. He stood up straight and remained silent as he waited for her reply.

"I should be the one saying that."

"Eh?"

She turned her head to the said and stared at him from the corner of her eyes. She smiled bitterly as she said her apology.

"I'm sorry about that."

 _'She's...'_

Shigeru stared at her in awe. He felt something different inside him as he saw her beautiful but sad smile. He froze on the spot and gulped. It felt like the person in front of him was not the one that he saw earlier. She felt... different.

Mikoto walked away, leaving him alone in front of her room. He glanced at the side and saw that the door was left open. His curiosity perked up once again as he tried to peek in her room. Nothing looked suspicious, so he closed it silently. He soon followed and walked the halls alone.

And in the room, a notebook was left open on top of the table, waiting for someone to read what was written on its pages.

* * *

Author's note:

Haha, it seems that I'm late again XD

A lot of things happened, and it hindered me from writing. Please forgive me~

And yeah, a bunch of OCs appeared! And Mikoto's other self also made an appearance! (I didn't know why, but I started shipping her other self with Mikoto... lol. not happening XD) And my chest started to hurt while writing this... yeah. And it's getting really hard to breathe. What was that...?

Yeah, see you next chapter!


	11. I

Misaka Mikoto went out of the elevator and she was greeted by a view of a very spacious room filled with chairs and tables. A few people ate there, and they turned their heads to stare at her. Most of them were researchers, but some seemed like mechanics. She bowed her head down a little to acknowledge their presence and she walked silently.

"Mikoto-san, this way."

Ueda Shigeru caught up to her as he pointed at a table to the left. Mikoto looked at the direction he was pointing at and saw the whole team with Yui who was waving at her energetically. She smiled a little as she followed his lead. As they stopped in front of the large table, they grabbed their seats and sat comfortably on their chairs.

"I'm glad you joined us for lunch, Mikoto-kun."

Mikoto stared at the old man named Yoshitaka Hideki who had a smile on his face. She just nodded a little and forced out a small smile in return.

"I'm sorry from the earlier spectacle, things like that were a bit inevitable for these kids."

He said as he poured some coffee in his cup. It's aroma filled their senses as steam flowed freely in the air.

"Please don't apologize, it's my fault, afterall."

She lowered her head and muttered her apology.

"I'm really sorry for what I did earlier."

"It's okay! Things like that really happen, especially to kids your age."

Then the brown haired man named Tsuguro Takehito grinned at her and accepted her apology. He was like the eldest brother in the group and he took care of his comrade's safety at all costs.

"I ordered a lot of food from our cook over there, so let's start eating."

The team ate their lunch with a smile on their faces. Soon enough, Shigeru noticed that Mikoto only took a slice of bread and a cup of tea as he stared at her with a confused look.

"You're okay with just that?"

She stared at him to regard his question, then took a bite from the bread before she answered.

"I'm still not allowed to eat heavy meals."

"Huh..?"

Then Yoshitaka cleared his throat to get his attention.

"Uhh... You see, Mikoto-kun was in an accident a month ago, and she was just released from the hospital before she got here."

Then they all stared at her as she ate her bread. It felt really awkward for her, like their gazes were piercing through her skull. She stopped for a while and stared at them with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

Miyamoto Miharu crossed her arms around her chest as she stopped eating for a while.

"Would you mind telling us what kind of an accident was that?"

Yoshitaka choked on his coffee and coughed vigorously. The others stared at him while Mikoto answered her question with a straight face.

"It's too disturbing to be said in public. You might not want to hear it."

Then she took a sip from her cup as the warm liquid ran down her system. The other people around the table gulped nervously as they imagined what kind of accident it was. Yoshitaka finally recovered as he wiped his face with a clean tissue.

"Miharu-kun, please refrain from asking questions like that."

"What's wrong with that?"

Miharu retorted silently as she resumed eating her lunch. Shigeru felt the atmosphere went heavy as he drank some water to ease his nervousness.

"She's just too mysterious. What if she's actually an enemy waiting for an opportunity to strike?"

She said as she glared at Mikoto's carefree posture. Yoshitaka just chuckled as he straightened his clothes.

"You don't have to worry about that, she won't betray us. She's actually quite famous, I'm even surprised you kids failed to recognize her."

"Yoshitaka-san..."

"Ahahaha, I'm sorry Mikoto-kun."

He chuckled as he resumed eating his lunch. Mikoto just breathed out a sigh as she finished eating her fill. Yui sat beside her and scribbled on her notebook. She showed it to her and stared with curiosity in her eyes. It read:

'Are you really famous?'

Mikoto scratched the back of her head and leaned her chin on her palm.

"Y-yeah, I think so."

Well, she really was famous, she's the #3 level 5 afterall. And she was also the headline of the news a month ago, the news about her assumed 'death' that spread in the whole Academy City and also around the world.

Miharu glared at Yoshitaka as she gripped her fork tightly.

"How are you so sure that she won't betray us?"

The girl's doubts actually irritated Mikoto as she glared at her with her sharp hazel eyes. She was known for her short temper around District 7, and she's still the same as ever. Miharu also glared at her as the atmosphere felt intense around them.

"Okay kids, stop this. Miharu-kun, I am pretty sure that she won't betray us, trust me. And Mikoto-kun, please calm down. A lot of people are watching us."

Mikoto breathed out a sigh as she calmed down, while Miharu pouted like a child. The old man was a powerful force they couldn't disobey, he was their law. The heavy atmosphere was soon lifted as Yui raised her notebook for the others to see.

'Look! I drew a horse!'

On the white page was a drawing of a quadrupedal animal which looked like a fusion of a horse and a giraffe. It's colors varied from yellow to violet, and a few stray lines crisscrossed with each other. They stared awkwardly at the image as they forced out a smile.

"Uh, that's a nice picture..."

Shigeru said with a fake grin, the corners of his mouth twitching every few seconds. Takehito cleared his throat and smiled at the young girl.

"You really like horses, don't you?"

The little girl nodded, and she wrote once again.

'Not only horses, I love all animals!'

"Eh? That's nice."

Yoshitaka said as he patted her head. She accepted it joyfully as she smiled sweetly. Shortly after, an idea popped in her head and she asked something out of the blue.

'What's your favorite animal?'

Then Shigeru held his chin in a thinking gesture, then brightened up as he thought of an answer.

"I like tigers! They're really strong and cool!"

"Childish."

"Gah-!"

Miharu suddenly interjected as Shigeru felt like crying from her comment. Takehito then answered next as he lifted his chin in a boastful manner.

"I like dogs! Dogs are really reliable and strong, suitable to be a man's partner in anything. They're excellent hunters, and they're also cute!"

They just stared at him for a while, then ignored him. The two guys started moping around the corner as they held back their manly tears. Yoshitaka cleared his throat before he answered his granddaughter's curious question.

"Owls are the symbol of wisdom, so I guess they're my favorite. What about you, Miharu-kun?"

Miharu poured some sugar into her tea as she stared at her cup with a bored look.

"Nothing. I'm not fond of animals."

She said as she stirred the brown mixture. Then she lifted her gaze from the cup and stared at the newbie at the other end of the table.

"Mikoto-san, what could your answer be?"

Mikoto stared at her for a while, then she glanced away. Her eyes were distant as she answered the question in a dark tone.

"Lambs..."

"Uh... lambs..?"

The others stared at her with confusion painted on their faces, except for Yoshitaka who stared at her with a serious expression.

"W-well, lambs are great but, could you tell us your reason?"

Shigeru said as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. She stared at him with an emotionless look, then lifted her cup to drink some tea. She didn't answer the question, but the old man knew what her reason was. And he's not pleased about it. Yoshitaka finally spoke up as he stared at Mikoto with a serious expression on his face.

"I think you should change your answer, Mikoto-kun."

The experienced old man and the young electromaster stared at each other as the air grew tense around them.

"And what made you say that?"

She sipped some tea from her cup then placed it down on the saucer. The others couldn't understand what they were talking about, and it's something that only the two of them could understand.

"It won't make you truly happy."

She tightened her grip on her cup as she heard his answer. He really was an intellectual man, he could understand every bit of symbolism and imagery in her words. He saw through her thick and abstract facade, and she hated it. Yui stared at her worriedly, and she tried to calm down her thoughts that swirled in her chaotic mind

"It won't change anything."

She said as she anxiously rubbed the tea cup in her hands with her fingers. She stared down at her cup with a somber expression on her face. A dangerous thought flitted through her mind like a vengeful ghost whispering in her ear.

 _'This old man knows too much.'_

She stood up from her chair and the others stared at her warily, except for Yoshitaka who was staring at his cup of coffee with an unreadable expression on his face. Her actions caught the attention of everyone in the area, but she didn't care. She turned her back and headed to the elevator, her heavy footsteps echoing throughout the room amidst the silence that her actions had created.

Miharu also stood from her chair and decided to leave the area. Before she could completely walk away, she heard a man talk to his fellow researcher in a hushed tone.

 _"That's Misaka-sama, right?"_

She stared back at the man, but he shied away. He must have noticed his mistake of saying that name, so he hid from the curious stare that Miharu gave him. Yoshitaka told them not to say that name when the defense team was present, but his tongue slipped from the rare sight.

Miharu memorized the name that the researcher had said, and it sounded familiar. It felt like she had heard it before, but she didn't know when and where. She gave the man a warning glare and walked out of the canteen through the stairs.

The man shivered from her glare, but he didn't know that the worst is yet to come. As he trembled in fear, a hand touched his right shoulder. He turned his head to look at the person's face, then his eyes widened. He saw Yoshitaka smiling at him, his grip tightening on his shoulder. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he gulped nervously. The old man whispered to him with a stern voice as he held his breath.

"To my office. 3:00 pm, sharp."

Then the man almost fainted as his boss walked past him and headed to the elevator. The other members of the defense team and Yui followed his back as they rode the elevator to the higher floors. As they left, the remaining people in the canteen stared at the trembling man. They all stared at him with pity written on their faces as they felt sorry for him.

* * *

"I'm so tired..."

Uiharu Kazari complained as she slumped down on her desk, her arms dangling freely on her side. It has been another tiring day for Judgement, and she could almost hear her eyes and her back scream at her to take a rest. She stared at her friend with half lidded eyes as she lazily reached for the can of soda on the right side of her desk.

"Shirai-san, let's rest for a while..."

Her friend didn't even turn her head to stare at her as her eyes were glued to the computer screen.

"I'll pass, I still have something to do."

Shirai Kuroko said as she declined her friend's offer. She was keeping herself busy since the start of the day, and Uiharu couldn't keep up to her. Yesterday's events deeply affected her, and she's drowning herself with lots of work to keep her mind focused. She typed on the keyboard with her dainty fingers as it made a repetitive clicking sound that filled the silent room. She stared at the computer's monitor with a serious expression on her face, her eyes darting back and forth as she read different articles on the recent events in Academy City.

Even though she wouldn't admit, she was actually feeling extremely bothered by her Onee-sama's words. As she forced herself to work, her mind would always drift back to that chestnut haired girl that she deeply adored. Her nostalgic voice would ring in her ears, and a pricking feeling would stab her heart. A single word resounded loudly in her head, and her fingers stopped in its endless stride.

 _'Onee-sama...'_

Misaka Mikoto, her beloved roommate, was declared dead last August 21.

And the truth was revealed to her a month after, on the bright morning of September 21.

But that 'truth' extended deeper into the darkest parts of Academy City, and she didn't know if she was prepared to face it. If her Onee-sama, a level 5, almost died when she took a step in its murky waters, what could possibly happen to a level 4 like her? A strange chill ran down her spine as she thought of the possible scenarios that could happen to her if she walked that path.

She felt terrified.

Extremely terrified.

Then, was her Onee-sama right to leave her alone?

Should she stay at the surface and live happily, blinded by the light that the city exudes?

But that would also make her leave her dearest Mikoto to rot in the endless void that was invisible to most of the population.

Once you stepped into the darkness, there's no going back, and she knew that. If she descended into that winding staircase, would she be able to climb back up? Or would she drown in an ocean of her own blood?

Her small form shivered from the thought, a bead of sweat rolled down her face. She licked her suddenly parched lips as she tried to compose herself and get back to work. She tried so hard to hide her crumbling resolve, but Uiharu already noticed her sudden change.

"Are you alright?"

She jumped from the sudden question as she hastily turned her face to the side. She saw Uiharu staring at her with eyes filled with worry. Kuroko stared back at the computer screen as she felt guilt panging loudly in her chest.

"I'm fine."

She informed her friends of the truth yesterday, but she didn't know what to do next. It was a dangerous decision, but she didn't want to commit the same mistake that her Onee-sama did. She didn't want her friends to be left in the dark, they needed to be informed of the situation. They will guide each other, and after that they will decide what to do. This gave Kuroko a thin ray of hope, the kind of hope that only her friends could give her. If you could feel that you are not alone, things would feel lighter and easier. And she knew that.

She knew it very well.

A small smile made its way on her face as she stared back at her worried friend. She stopped doing her work for a while and faced her completely. She breathed out a deep breath to prepare herself from what she was going to say.

"Don't worry. I'm fine, really."

"Are you sure?"

Uiharu asked as she sat up straight from her slumped position, the flowers on her head still neatly arranged. She knew that it was never that easy to move on from yesterday's event, and it must be really hard for her. Kuroko placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as she felt her resolve coming back to her.

"I'm not alone, and we'll figure it out together."

Uiharu smiled at her answer and nodded her head. The flowers on her head suddenly looked rejuvenated, but it's most likely just her imagination. A common silence filled the office until someone opened the door and greeted them energetically.

"Uiharu, Shirai-san, I came here to hang out! Things get really boring these days... Oh, did I miss something?"

Saten Ruiko suddenly barged in the office with a bag of snacks in her hand. She stared at the two who had a touching moment seconds earlier with a goofy grin on her face. Kuroko breathed out a sigh while Uiharu greeted back.

"Hello, Saten-san."

"Hey, Uiharu. Well, did you find something?"

She said as she leaned her hand on the desk to peek at the glowing monitor. Uiharu shook her head with her face riddled with disappointment.

"Nothing yet, but we're working on it."

Uiharu resumed her work as she continued to search for clues on their shared secret. They've been searching for key events since early this morning, but they still couldn't find anything. Saten held her chin in a thinking gesture as she squinted her eyes in concentration.

"Hmm... This one's really difficult."

"You're right. Nothing strange seems to happen in the city these days, and I don't think some of them would lead us to her."

Kuroko said as she typed on the keyboard, her eyes fixed at the computer monitor. Uiharu breathed out an exasperated sigh as she hung her head in defeat.

"I can't do this anymore. My back is killing me..."

"We need to search a bit more, we won't find anything if you stopped."

Kuroko said in a stern voice. Uiharu whined tiredly as she slouched down her chair.

"Ehh..? But..."

"Then, this goes for our last resort."

Saten suddenly interjected as she fiddled with her phone. She showed her cellphone's screen to everyone with enthusiasm as it showed the familiar black background and white text of an online chat room.

"This will be our answer!"

"That again? Baseless rumors are not helpful."

Saten just laughed mockingly at the uninterested Kuroko and crossed her arms over her chest. Her face looked like she had won the lottery as she fiddled with her phone once again.

"There are things that could only be found here, like unreported cases of robbery, smuggling, terrorism, random exploding buildings, unknown-"

"Wait, Saten-san. What did you just say?"

Kuroko suddenly turned to her with overwhelming interest, and she grinned victoriously. The Judgement officer's reaction revved up her urban legend instincts as she explained the information that she had read.

"There are unknown-"

"No, before that."

The twin tailed girl stared at her with a serious face as she harshly grabbed Saten's wrists. The other girl jumped from her sudden action, and Kuroko hastily retreated her hand from her wrist like she touched something extremely hot. She composed herself as she asked again.

"What was the thing that you mentioned before that?"

"Ah... There are rumors that some random buildings would suddenly explode in the middle of the night, and it would always end up unreported to the authorities..."

"Then, Uiharu."

She stared at the flowery girl as she struggled to sit straight on her not-so-comfortable chair. A stern look riddled her face as she moved her chair nearer to Uiharu's desk.

"Search up for similar incidents. This may lead us to something."

From what her Onee-sama and the Sisters had told her, Mikoto tried to destroy different research facilities in an attempt to stop the experiments. If these incidents, for an instance, were connected to her, they might find something that would point out to her location and to her motives.

The three girls suddenly indulged into work mode as they did everything they can to bring their friend back. They might not show it in their faces, but they were extremely worried about what their actions would bring. A single mistake would affect their lives, and they might slip down to the abyss and never to return. Despite knowing this, they still continued to search for clues. They didn't know if the person that their going to save would like to be saved, but they didn't care. They have already decided.

They will bring her back, no matter what happens.

* * *

Misaka Mikoto sat on the edge of her bed with a pen in her right artificial hand. She trained hard enough to do the things that she could only do with her dominant hand, including writing. A notebook was laid open on her lap as its white pages was smeared by black and red ink. Her slim form trembled from the eerie cold feeling that flowed on her skin. She stared at the notebook with her red eyes, her trembling fingertips scanning the horizontal lines printed on the paper. Her fingers could feel the texture of the paper as it traveled across its surface.

Suddenly, she felt a cold hand ran delicately from her neck down to her lower back and she shivered from its blood-chilling touch. Before she could move away, its arms snaked around her taut abdomen and slipped under her shirt. She held back a cry as its slender fingers touched the mosaic of stitches and scars that decorated her pale skin. An icy gust of air blew down her nape as it leaned on her right ear, giving her goosebumps.

 _"Hey."_

A soft voice reached her ears, and in an instant, she knew who it was. _It's here again._ It pulled her in an embrace as it leaned its chest to her bony back. The illusory being on her back gave off a malicious aura, and fear made its way into her muddy thoughts.

"W-why are you here?"

Mikoto said, her voice wavering from the sudden dread that filled her chest. She felt its lips curve into a smile as it pecked her cheek in a light kiss. The kiss may be light and sweet, but it gave her an ominous feeling. More like a kiss of death.

 _"That's a silly question, I'm always here."_

It giggled like a child and snuggled closer to her. She inhaled a deep breath as she mustered every ounce of courage left in her battered body.

"Don't give me that bullshit."

She could feel that its mood changed, then its slender fingers traced on her grotesque scar with a devilish smirk on its face. A sharp gasp escaped her lips for her scars felt sensitive to its touch.

 _"You definitely know why I'm here."_

It withdrew its hands from her abdomen then latched itself on her shoulders. Mikoto held her breath as its voice changed into a serious tone.

 _"You seem to be forgetting something."_

Its grip tightened on her shoulder and she clenched her teeth. Her body tensed as she felt its nails dig into her skin, and a silent cry of pain escaped her throat. Small amount of blood seeped out from her shoulders, but it just dug deeper. She tried to push its hands away, but it was useless. It had her shoulders in an iron grip, and there's no escaping it.

 _"Don't get too close to them, or you'll fail."_

Then its hands abandoned its hold on her shoulders and pulled the back of her shirt's collar. It pushed her down the bed and climbed on her, straddling her with its long legs. She tried everything to push it away, but its weight was tightly pressed on her body, preventing any means of escape. Its terrifying eyes glowed in the dark room and glared at her like it pierced through her skull. Then its hands made its way to her neck and strangled her, cutting her oxygen supply. She clawed its sturdy wrists as she struggled to breathe, and she could feel her heart beating loudly inside her ribcage. It released a frustrated groan and gripped her neck tighter, its nails piercing her skin.

"Kh! What the fuck... are you doing..?"

She stared at the illusory being with her half lidded eyes, and she could see the displeased expression on its face. It opened its mouth to shout at her with a scowl.

 _"Not me, YOU! What the fuck are you doing?! Sitting alone in your room, scribbling on a notebook, playing with a kid, being read by an old man, what the fuck is happening to you?! We already talked about this, right?!"_

Its bloodied nails dug the skin on the back of her neck, and she did the same on its wrist. It gritted its teeth and bared its canines in front of her as it winced from the pain that she inflicted.

 _"I've been beside you for many years, and then you lock me away?! What did that old man do for you to defy me?! Save those piles of junk? That's fucking bullshit. If you want to live a normal life again, then screw you. I'm going to kill you myself."_

She could already feel her throat snap from its hold as she struggled to break free. Yes, its true that it was there for almost her entire life. It was there when she first came to Academy City. It was there when she took the power curriculum. It was there when she was declared as a level 1 electromaster. It was there when she played in the playground. It was there when she was feeling really lonely. It was there when she played with her Gekota stuffed toy alone in her own room. It was there on the day that she started to miss her parents very much. It was there when she gave her DNA map to the researchers. It was there when she became a level 5. It was there when she first fired a railgun. It was there when she made a group of friends. It was there when she learned of the level 6 shift project. It was there when she tried to stop the experiment by letting herself get killed by Accelerator.

It's always there, doing the things that she couldn't do.

Even now, she continued to rely on it.

It would always do the things that she wanted to do.

It would cry with her.

Laugh with her.

Hug her.

Comfort her.

Cut her.

Strangle her.

Kill her.

Its just doing everything that she wanted, so they made a deal.

 _"I let you live again so that you could fix everything, but you're destroying it! Your soft side always takes the better of you! Don't you ever learn? You've seen 10,031 sisters getting brutally murdered by that bastard, and you're taking it lightly! Because of you, a lot of them died. Because of you, you failed to save them. Because of you, your body is failing. Because of you, your friends are worrying their heads off. Because of US, everything fucking happened!"_

Tears welled up in the corner of its eyes as it breathed heavily from its earlier rant. A wet feeling trailed down Mikoto's face, and she realized that she was crying too. Her chest constricted from the words that came out from its mouth, and her lungs felt like its going to burst. The being lowered its head, its chestnut colored hair hiding its reddish eyes.

 _"That person named Misaka Mikoto..."_

It loosened its grip on her neck and freed her as oxygen finally entered her lungs. She coughed vigorously and twisted to the side, the bruises and scrapes on her skin stinging painfully. She clutched her chest as she inhaled deeply while the being on top of her clawed on the bed sheet. Tears rolled down on its face and landed onto hers, the warm liquid soothed the excruciating pain inside of her.

 _"...shouldn't exist in this fucked up world."_

It finished its sentence between hics and sobs as it hunched over her. Mikoto finally composed herself, and she could feel the pain panging on its chest. She mustered up a smile and reached a hand to its face, wiping its tears with her thumb. It jolted up and stared at her, its eyes wide open in shock.

"It must be really painful..."

Then she sat up on her bed and hugged its trembling form. Her arms gave a soothing warmth to its cold body as it snuggled closer to her, burying its face on her shoulder. She ran down a hand on its back to comfort it, and the action seem to calm it down.

"I'm sorry."

She leaned down to its ear and whispered in a soft voice. Her warm breath ghosted down its neck as it shivered from her action.

"If that old man would hinder our plans..."

She tapped its shoulder reassuringly as she pulled away from the embrace. She now stared deeply into its hazel eyes as she continued.

"...then I'll be the one to end his life for you."

Its lips parted from her words as an indescribable feeling crept into their hearts. They wanted it, yet they hated it. It's a mixture of conflicting emotions. The being started to fade slowly as the cold feeling went away. As it completely disappeared, she breathed out a sigh of relief. She started to check her neck in front of the mirror, and she saw the bruises and scrapes that decorated her pale white skin. She also checked her shoulder, and she saw the same.

Then she checked her wrists. It was unharmed.

But bright red blood traced the space beneath her fingernails.

An ominous laughter escaped her lips as she found her actions ridiculous. She couldn't have a scrape on her wrist, that's impossible. But she could still have blood decorating her fingertips.

Because in reality, she didn't struggle at all.

She strangled herself.

The blood that stained her fingertips came from the scrapes on her neck and on her shoulders.

And the bruises on her neck was inflicted by her own two hands.

As her laughter died down, she stared at the clock on top of the desk beside her bed. _It's almost time,_ she thought. She went to the bathroom to clean herself, then covered the bruises on her neck with a roll of bandages that she found in one of the drawers. As she headed out of the room, a cold feeling clung in her chest. She shook it off and locked the door until it clicked. When she turned around, an unexpected guest greeted her.

"My, what happened to your neck, _Misaka-sama?_ "

Miharu stood in front of her room as she leaned on the wall of the hallway. Mikoto jolted from the name that she called her, and the girl just smirked from her reaction.

"I guess the thing that's running in your mind would be a question of 'how did you know?', am I right?"

Mikoto gritted her teeth as she clenched her hands into fists. She glared at the girl in front of her who had an amused smile on her face.

"Well, I don't believe that guy that much, so you're the one who's going to spill the beans."

Miharu stared at her straight in the eye with an inquiring look. She just glared at her in return as she kept her hands in her pockets.

"Are you really _that_ Misaka Mikoto?"

From the information that Miharu gathered, the only person with the name Misaka Mikoto in Academy City would be the Railgun, the third strongest level 5. But that would make no sense, since the news indicated that she died last August 21. So she tried to investigate some more. She suddenly remembered that the old man told them that Mikoto was in an accident a month ago, and she found it very fishy.

Mikoto shrugged her off and turned her back on her. She stopped for a while as she stated her answer with a dark tone.

"Misaka Mikoto... is already dead."

Then she walked off the silent hallway, her footsteps echoing throughout the area. Miharu stared at her retreating back with a frown as she straightened her posture.

 _'She's too suspicious.'_ she thought.

* * *

Author's note:

Hi guys! How's the chapter? Did it confuse you? ...Yes? Very good!

I'm sorry I'm late, again. Migraine, I think. My vision would swirl into a mosaic when I lay my head down. Yeah, it was really scary. I thought I'm not going to see anything anymore T-T

What's with Mikoto? What's with Yoshitaka? What's wrong with fluffy lambs? What the hell is going on?

I'm not going to tell you :) (and about the lambs, you should figure it out yourself.)

See you next chapter!


	12. Salvation

_Pitter, patter. Pitter, patter._

Misaka Mikoto rode the elevator to the ground floor together with the other members of the team. The atmosphere was really tense as they remained silent in the small quadrilateral space between the walls of thick and transparent glass. The whole city could be seen from there as the elevator cab paced downwards in a steady motion. Droplets of water rolled down across its surface as the clouds decided to cry onto the earth below. The dark night sky was covered with gray, and almost unnoticeable curtain of clouds until a few flashes of lightning would illuminate its fluffy contours. The moon was also not in sight, making the evening scenery a bit dark, if not for the sparkling lights of the city down below.

 _Pitter, patter. Pitter, patter._

She lowered the visor of her cap to cover the expression in her eyes. Her distant eyes stared at the scenery before her, squinting them a little as the mosaic of lights was obscured by the flowing raindrops on the glass surface. It was undeniably cold outside as it seeped through the walls and unto her hand that was touching it gently. She withdrew her hand and unknowingly placed it on her neck to caress the fresh wounds and bruises that were hidden beneath some white medical bandages. The texture of the bandages running softly on her fingers might be soothing, but the stinging sensation on her neck was making it less enjoyable. She breathed out a sigh as she twisted around and faced the automatic door; the flickering numbers signified that they were close to their destination.

 _Pitter, patter. Pitter, patter._

And finally, the elevator stopped and opened its doors. They all stepped out of it and they were greeted by the old man who held a lot of power in his hands. It was Yoshitaka Hideki. He wore a gray suit over a black long sleeved shirt, and his gray hair was neatly combed as always. He had a gentle smile on his face as he accompanied them to the building's back door.

"I'll be watching your back. Don't do anything reckless."

They all nodded their heads and went inside a black spacious vehicle one by one then sat on their respective seats, leaving the old man waving at them. The interior of the vehicle was really simple, but the glowing blue lines that accented its corners made it a little unique. The engine revved up and the car took off in the middle of the night, guided by its headlights and the lights of the city itself.

 _Pitter, patter. Pitter, patter._

And once again, the evening view was obscured by the thin sheet of rain water that flowed down the tinted windows. The gentle pattering of the falling raindrops sounded ever so faintly on the vehicle's roof, but it was still louder than the humming of the car's engine. Suddenly, the teenager beside Mikoto turned to face her and handed her a tiny black box. She accepted the object and stared at it for a while, and then she finally opened it. Inside of the box was a small earpiece with a button on its side.

"The old man asked me to give you that thing so that we could call you if we needed help."

Ueda Shigeru, the teenage boy beside her, said in a casual tone. His hand ruffled his unkempt black hair as he tried to think of anything to say. His brows furrowed in concentration and his lips stretched in a thin line, then he breathed out a sigh. It was a sign of giving up.

"Thanks."

Mikoto replied briefly as she placed the earpiece in her ear. Shigeru was about to say something but he was interrupted by the sudden light that popped out in the center of the room. It came from an LCD screen that showed up from the ceiling. It showed a 'sound only' notice which was written in uppercase and in white font color, contrasting with the pitch black background. A voice resounded from the speakers that were attached at the corner of the ceiling and they recognized who it was.

 _"Hey kids. Things will get really serious when you get there, so watch your back."_

The old man's voice caught their attention and they listened cautiously.

 _"The place you're heading to is one of my facilities, specialized on manufacturing different medical equipment."_

They nodded their head to no one in particular, except for Mikoto who was blankly staring at the blurry lights outside the car's window. Her attitude caught the attention of someone in the vehicle, and she didn't take it very lightly.

"Hey, newbie. Don't zone out."

Mikoto tore her gaze from the window for a while to stare at the girl from the corner of her tired eyes. She saw Miyamoto Miharu who wore a stern expression on her face, her glare piercing through the electromaster's form.

Mikoto just shrugged her off and spoke in a carefree manner, which further infuriated the blonde girl.

"I'm listening."

Then she stared back at the tinted window beside her, viewing the moving lights that passed through her vision. The speeding cars outside illuminated half of her face as they passed by. She may look uninterested, but she was actually listening to their words. She just wanted to see the scenery behind the blurry windows out of curiosity.

Miharu clicked her tongue and crossed her arms over her chest. The eldest member of the group noticed the growing pressure between the two girls and interjected by waving his hands in front of them.

"W-well, I think you girls should stop this. The old man can actually hear you, and I think he's not pleased."

Tsuguro Takehito managed to speak out, his voice wavering slightly as the pressure just continued to build up. The blonde just glared at him, while the brunette didn't even try to glance at him. A cold sweat rolled down his back as he gulped nervously.

The voice from the speakers cleared his throat to bring them back to the topic. They straightened their back and listened to the old man once again.

 _"I will let you decide your own strategy, so everyone is in charge. And Shigeru-kun, Miharu-kun, and Takehito-kun."_

The three listened carefully as the old man called for their names. On the other hand, the electromaster was just staring blankly at the window, following the traces of light with her eyes like she was mesmerized by it.

 _"Your equipment is in the trunk."_

 _'Equipment?'_

A single word caught Mikoto's attention. What was that for? She quickly shrugged the thought off and went back on amusing herself. It didn't mean anything to her, anyway. The other three nodded again with different expressions on their faces. Miharu had a serious look, while Takehito looked a bit nervous. And as for Shigeru, he looked... tensed? She turned her head to stare at his stiff posture. Drops of sweat rolled on his face as his hands trembled slightly. Anxiety could be seen on his face as his parched lips quivered in fear.

 _Pitter, patter. Pitter, patter._

Then the car stopped. The LCD screen suddenly switched off and folded back from the ceiling. The doors opened and they stepped down from the black vehicle.

"We're here."

The four stared at the white building in front of them. From the outside, it was nothing special. White painted walls, tinted windows, and average size. Miharu stepped forward and stood in front of them with her hands on her hips, her wide sleeves flowing in the wind. She was wearing a thick jacket with the sleeves widening towards the end, despite the fact that it was bright and sunny earlier in the morning. It was raining harder than earlier, so they stopped under the shade.

"Wah... It's not the rainy season, isn't it? Why is it raining this hard?"

"Probably climate change..."

Takehito flinched from the smell of the rain and covered his nose.

"Yeah right... Even that blimp didn't expect this to happen."

"..."

Mikoto remained silent as her shoulders jolted from his words. She knew the answer, but she couldn't just tell them. In fact, she didn't have any intention to do so. That supercomputer caused a lot of trouble for her, and she despised it so much she sometimes wished that she was the one who destroyed it instead.

"Takehito and I will go inside the building, while Shigeru and the newbie will search outside. They might be hiding somewhere, so be cautious. When the coast is clear, proceed inside for back up."

"Understood."

Takehito opened the trunk and produced three black suitcases, then tossed each to the other two. He closed the trunk with a click then stared at them with determination in his eyes.

"It has only been a week since the group was formed, and now that we had a new member, I wish that this mission would be a success."

He said with his chin held up high and his arms crossed over his sturdy chest. Miharu just huffed and turned her back as she ushered the gruff guy with an irritated tone.

"Hurry up. We don't have much time."

"R-right!"

Then the two walked off inside the building, leaving the two teenagers. Shigeru stared warily at the black suitcase in his hands, while Mikoto leaned on the wall with her hands in her pockets. She could see the uneasiness in his behavior as she stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Ueda-san."

"Y-yes?!"

He jolted as he heard his name and the suitcase in his hands almost slipped from his hold. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he caught it in time, but his relief was immediately cut off by her sudden question.

"What are we going to do?"

"E-eh?"

Mikoto stared at him with her emotionless eyes as he held the suitcase tighter. He scratched the back of his head as his mind failed to give him answer.

"I-I don't know... I'm not really good in formulating strategies."

 _'So it's all up to me, then.'_

Mikoto brought her hands out of her pockets to fix the position of the cap on her head. She glanced at him once again to ask a different question.

"Then, let me change my question. What can _you_ do?"

Shigeru lifted his face as he stared at the younger girl in front of him. What did she mean by that? Mikoto just stared at him as her patience was cutting short. She tapped her fingers impatiently, waiting for his response. The boy noticed this as he struggled to find an answer.

"I-I can clearly see everything around a distance of 413.86 meter radius, and I was trained to shoot a gun..."

 _'A gun...?'_

She placed a hand on her chin as she thought carefully. If Shigeru could see everything around a great distance, how could she use this to their advantage? Her eyes landed on the black suitcase on his hands and remembered the words that the old man said earlier.

 _'The equipment... Could it be..?'_

She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the poor boy. Shigeru felt like a child being criticized by an adult because of her intimidating gaze. Mikoto tore her gaze away from him and stared at the white building.

"Then grab on tight."

"Eh?"

"We're going up the rooftop."

"What?! Wai-!"

Mikoto lost her patience and yanked his arm harshly as she ran in full speed. Shigeru didn't have time to protest as he let himself get dragged by the younger girl. As they moved out of the shade, he finally noticed that the downpour of raindrops has stopped. He thought they were going through the stairs, but he didn't expect what happened next. Tendrils of electricity shot out from her feet and attached itself on the building's walls. Soon enough, Shigeru felt that his feet had left the ground as he stared below him.

"Whaaa! We're too high up!"

Mikoto attached herself on the wall with Shigeru dangling limply on her side. She manipulated the suitcase that he was holding with magnetism to support his weight as they climbed up the walls, completely ignoring the downward force of gravity. The black haired boy paled as he stared at the ground which was getting farther away from his dangling legs. He could also hear the buzzing and sparking sounds beside him, clinging on to his unkempt hair as it stood on its ends. On the other hand, Mikoto was having some difficulties on the load that she was carrying, so she tried shifting the teenage boy's weight. She lifted him up and placed him on her shoulder like a sack of freshly harvested rice.

"O-oi! What are you doing?!"

"You're dangling in the air, and it's difficult to carry you on your arm while climbing up."

She stated like it was the most normal thing to say. Shigeru gave up on struggling as he let go of his manly pride. Being manhandled by a younger girl like her was something that would make a guy feel a bit humiliated for himself, but he could also see that she wouldn't listen to excuses like that. He breathed out a sigh as they continued to pace upwards in a steady speed, his body waving limply on her every jump.

And after a few minutes of climbing up the walls, they finally reached the building's rooftop. Shigeru held his chest in relief as the girl put her down. Mikoto stood on the edge of the building and stared downwards with her hazel eyes. The boy scratched his head as he dusted his clothes with his free hand.

"So, what are we going to do next?"

Mikoto turned her head to stare at him with the same intimidating gaze, then breathed out a deep sigh. Shigeru couldn't understand the meaning behind her exasperated sigh, so he stared at her with a raised eyebrow. The electromaster sat on the edge of the building as she stated in a tired tone.

"You had a gun with you, right?"

Shigeru stared at the black suitcase with wary eyes as he held its handle in a tight grip. He tightly shut his eyes and took a deep breath, shaking off his swirling doubts. He slumped down on the floor as he opened the suitcase in one swift motion.

"Right, I don't have to be scared."

Inside the suitcase were a disassembled sniper rifle, assorted bullets, and a shiny pistol. Mikoto watched him as he assembled the rifle with great precision, like he had done it for a lot of times already. As he finished, he crouched down the edge of the building with the rifle in hand, his emerald eyes scanning the environment below. The moist floor of the rooftop felt cold on his knees, but he didn't have time to complain. They watched the ground below in the middle of the cold humid night.

"Hey, Ueda-san."

"Hmm?"

Shigeru glanced at her as he was a bit startled from her sudden words. Mikoto continued to stare away from him, her distant eyes gazing at the dark parts of the city.

"Have you... _killed someone already?"_

The boy stiffened from his position as his face paled. That was the thing that was troubling his mind earlier, and he didn't expect her to ask that question. He tightened his grip on the rifle and gritted his teeth as a grimace made its way on his face.

"Yeah... I was forced to do so."

Mikoto finally glanced at him as his words caught her attention, her face riddled with confusion. Shigeru smiled bitterly and he loosened his hold on the sniper rifle, a distant memory flitting through his mind.

"I was a young soldier before, trained by some stupid revolutionary group that was hiding in the darkest parts of Academy City."

The cold evening breeze blew through his black hair as his fringes swayed softly. His face started to look solemn, and his green eyes carried a distant expression. Mikoto continued to listen to his story while monitoring the ground below.

"It was a really traumatic experience, but I knew that one day, I would be carrying a gun once again. And that day came earlier than expected."

He chuckled half heartedly, his eyes staring down the bright lights of the city.

"This city took a lot from us, and I guess the cycle of despair won't just end that easily."

"..."

Then awkward silence. They didn't know how to keep the conversation going, so they decided to stop it all at once. And it was not good for them to be chatting with each other during an important mission, or else Miharu would scold them again. Shigeru breathed out a sigh as he felt relieved, like a huge load was lifted from his chest. On the other hand, Mikoto had an unreadable expression on her face. Her whole stature may look calm, but deep inside; she was actually trying her hardest to restrain the clawing sensation at the back of her mind.

And after a few minutes of silence, there were some suspicious movements below them as their eyes followed its trail. A black car made its way in front of the back door, and a few armed men stepped out of it. Shigeru could clearly see them without the aid of a visual apparatus, his eyes scanning their weapons down to the smallest details. The armed men wore bullet proof vests over their torsos, and a sturdy helmet with a visor hid their faces. They also carry a gun in their hands as they paced cautiously on the cold pavement.

"Here they are."

Shigeru peeked through the telescopic sight and aimed at the car itself, his index finger touching the trigger. And as soon as the armed men completely went out of the car, a piercing sound was heard, and a 14mm anti-materiel bullet pierced through the car's metal frame. Then a loud explosion rang in their ears as the vehicle exploded, injuring the armed men in a single attack. As the coast was clear, Shigeru kept the rifle inside the case and placed the pistol in his pocket, his entire body feeling cold from the destruction that he caused. He produced a strap and fastened it to the suitcase's surface, creating a sling so that he could carry it easier on his back.

But as soon as he finished, Mikoto grabbed him on the back of his shirt's collar and jumped down the building. Streaks of electricity jumped out of her lean form and supported their weight as they went on a free fall.

"Whaaagh-!"

He stifled his scream as they went down the building, his black jacket flowing freely from the drag. Their fall slowed down as they approached closer to the ground, a strong force of magnetism cushioning their fall. As they landed carefully on the ground, Shigeru looked like a complete mess, his clothes were ruffled and his hair stood on its ends from the air resistance. He tried to compose himself and he straightened his clothes, his hand clutching the suitcase's strap firmly.

Mikoto looked indifferent as she paced into the building's entrance, completely ignoring the charred bodies lying on the ground. The smell of burnt flesh filled her senses as she maintained an emotionless expression, but she could feel a tingling sensation inside of her. She could also feel that something was trying to break free from its chains, and a lovely shade of crimson filled her mind. A vague question flitted in her mind as the distinct color started to cover her vision.

 _'Am I sleeping...?'_

* * *

Shirai Kuroko stood beside her bed in the middle of the night, her eyes glowing with unwavering conviction. The leather straps on her thighs were completely filled with metal spikes as it glinted from the miniscule amount of light that passed through the windows. Her eyes landed on her bed, staring at the dummy which was covered with a thick blanket. It has been a while since the last time she tried to sneak out of the dorm in the middle of the night, and this made her feel a bit nostalgic. Her lips curved into a small smile as she adjusted the blanket over the makeshift dummy.

 _'I hope that the Dorm Mistress wouldn't find out...'_

Then her eyes glanced sideways and landed on the other bed, its mere emptiness creating a hollow atmosphere. Her eyes carried a forlorn expression as happy but painful memories resurfaced in her mind. That empty bed would always remind her of their memories together, and also the fact that 'she' abandoned them. A prickling feeling struck the corner of her eyes as she prevented her tears from falling. She tried to compose herself as she took a deep breath, her small hands clutching the hem of her skirt. She reached for her phone inside her pocket and dialed a number. She placed the phone near her ear as she waited for the other line to answer.

 _"...Hello?"_

"Uiharu, it's me."

 _"Shirai-san!"_

Uiharu Kazari shook off her sleepiness as she jolted up from the sudden call. She was almost falling asleep as she stared at the glowing screen of her laptop, and the constant ringing of her phone brought her back to her senses. Kuroko breathed out a sigh before she replied.

"Any progress?"

 _"Ah, yes! Where is it..? Oh, here it is!"_

Uiharu scrolled down and skimmed through the bunch of texts that covered almost the entire screen. She squinted her eyes as she tried to read the useful information that she gathered.

 _"According to the sequence of the recent unreported fires, the terrorists are currently attacking the facilities owned and supported by Yoshitaka Corporation around District 8. They already cleared the facilities in the other nearby districts, like District 6 and 19."_

Kuroko placed a hand on her chin as she thought deeply. If the unknown 'terrorists' destroyed the facilities owned by a single corporation, it could only mean two things: Either the rumored terrorists had a personal grudge against them, or they were business competitors that resorted to underhanded tactics. Her brows furrowed as she concentrated in analyzing the information that was given to her.

"Then, do you have any idea on where would the terrorists attack?"

 _"Uhh... As of now, there are only two remaining facilities in District 8. One is a medical research laboratory, while the other one is a manufacturing facility. So, I guess one of them would be their current target."_

Kuroko finalized her preparations as she placed a green armband on her right arm. She placed the phone near her ear once again to give her response.

"Uiharu, keep your eyes on those two facilities, I'm going out to investigate. Inform me on anything new."

 _"What?! You're going out, in the middle of the night?!"_

"I don't have a choice. This is my only chance to investigate directly. We might lose them if we're late."

 _"But, Shirai-san-!"_

Kuroko abruptly ended the call so she wouldn't hear any of Uiharu's reactions. Tonight, no one is going to stop her. She will approach it head on. She prepared herself on anything that she would find out in her risky investigation. As long as these events would lead her to her previous roommate, she will do anything. She made a last glance to her empty room, then she quickly vanished as she teleported herself out of the dormitory. The sudden change in temperature sent a chill down her spine and the coldness of the icy wind seeped into her skin. The entire pavement was moist with rainwater as the downpour ended a few minutes ago. Her auburn hair fluttered in the wind as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop. She continued to teleport every few meters with a destination in mind.

 _'I'll start with the research laboratory, then move to the next one.'_

I wish she made a right choice.

Her feet landed on the cold pavement as she stopped in front of a huge building. There were no signs of intruders in there as the windows glowed from the lights inside. For a medical research laboratory, this building was quite huge. The white walls looked old and unclean from the outside, but its entrance was guarded with a tight security system. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the building with calculating eyes, seeing that the situation looked normal on this part of the district. She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket then she answered the call with a deep sigh.

"It's a miss, huh."

But she was greeted by a frantic voice as she placed the phone near her ear.

 _"Shirai-san!"_

"Uiharu, what's the situation?"

 _"There's an explosion near the manufacturing facility! What's going on?!"_

Uiharu was panicking from the other line as she shouted at the inanimate object in her hand. Kuroko flinched from the sudden increase in volume as she pulled it away from her ears for a while.

"Then I'll go and investigate the situation. Back me up from the sidelines. Where was the building located?"

 _"It's in the other end of the district, but... W-wait! You're going there?!"_

"I'll call you later."

"Wait! Shirai-san-!"

She ended the call again before she could finish her sentence. There was no use in hearing her panicked ranting as Kuroko placed the phone back in her skirt's pocket. She glanced to the direction of the building with determined eyes and teleported away as fast as she could.

It was a bit far from the first building, and a lot of things might have happened before she would arrive at the scene.

Things that she would probably regret seeing afterwards.

* * *

Ueda Shigeru walked behind the chestnut haired girl with a pistol in hand, its lustrous frame glinting from the small light bulbs that flickered for every few seconds. A lump formed in his throat as his senses were on full alert, his hands gripping on the gun tightly. Beads of sweat rolled down his face from the screaming tension, while his eyes scanned the area in a frantic motion.

On the other hand, Misaka Mikoto was walking calmly with a face devoid of emotion. Her hazel eyes looked like they were seeking for something, glancing left and right with a curious glint. She would also peek through different corners, but her companion didn't even notice her actions due to the overwhelming nervousness that flooded his mind. After a few tries of glancing around the building's interior, she would rub her eyes in a frustrated manner, like she was clearing her eyes from impurities that clouded her vision. Or, that's what she thought.

 _'Why won't it go away?'_

She continued to rub her eyes, but she was still seeing the same. That lovely shade of crimson, the color that runs through her veins, and through anyone else's. She didn't know why she was starting to see things like that, but ever since the smell of charred bodies reached her nostrils, it started to appear. She finally gave up on rubbing her eyes as she stared at her front with reddish eyes.

 _'Everything is... tainted with blood...'_

She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Everything was dyed with that infuriating color, the walls, the ceiling, the stairs, and especially her hands.

Especially her hands.

 _'... It's irritating!'_

She mentally screamed and punched the wall in frustration, her knuckles colliding with the metallic enclosure. Shigeru jolted from her sudden outburst as the lights flickered in a faster rate, just like in a horror movie. He lowered his gun and tapped the girl on her right shoulder, his emerald eyes staring at her trembling form worriedly.

"Are you alright..?"

As soon as she heard the boy's voice, the color that covered her vision suddenly disappeared, her eyes widening from the abrupt change. She stared warily at her clean hands and moved them in slight movements. She finally stared at Shigeru with the same expression on her face as she muttered a question under her breath.

 _"Am I finally awake?"_

"Huh?"

"..."

The boy didn't seem to understand her mumbling as he stared at her dumbly. She clicked her tongue and shoved his hand away from her right shoulder, then walked away like nothing happened. Shigeru scratched his head in confusion as his nervousness slightly faded away.

"What's her problem..?"

Then they continued their stride in the middle of a dark pathway, the flickering lights dimly illuminating the area. No words were said between the two, but the growing tension only increased in levels.

As they turned around a corner, gunshots could be heard echoing throughout the area. They halted in their tracks and hid cautiously, their eyes searching the entire pathway. The sounds could be heard at the end of it, making Shigeru gulp nervously. Mikoto breathed out a sigh, taking note of the young soldier's cowardliness.

"Use your ability."

"R-right!"

He stared at the pathway with his emerald eyes, then his pupils dilated in a freaky manner. His eyes twitched in its every movement as he scanned the area.

"It's Miharu. Oh, and Takehito-san too."

Then he closed his eyes and covered it with his hands, flinching a bit from the dull pain from the back of his eyes. As he finally opened them, he saw Mikoto walking casually to the said area, her hands kept in her pockets. He moved immediately and ran up to her to walk behind her. He held his pistol in front of him with his trembling hands as he tried to compose himself. The sounds were getting clearer and louder, and agonized screams made its way to their ears. Shigeru felt his chest go heavier, while Mikoto felt cold on her back. As they went closer and closer to the said area, a heavy atmosphere hung in the air, which was completely weighing them down from the inside.

The two teenagers stepped forward, an uneasy feeling rising up in their chests. But before they could reach the source of sound, a piercing sound drilled into their ears and a blinding light illuminated the whole area.

 _'A stun grenade?!'_

They covered their eyes as they flinched from the sudden flash of light. As the explosion ended, they opened their eyes and started to stare at their surroundings. The stun grenade's effect didn't affect them that much because they were too far away from the target area, but it still knocked them off their feet. Shigeru rubbed his eyes as a dull pain struck the back of his eyes once again, while Mikoto tried to stand up as her balance was thrown off by the ringing sound.

"Wh-what was that..?"

"We need to hurry."

As they regained their composure, they paced forward to their destination while leaning on the walls for support. Their footsteps echoed throughout the narrow passage as an uneasy silence hung in the atmosphere. They were getting nearer in a slow but steady rate, until an unsettling scene triggered their senses.

At the end of the pathway, a wide room was waiting for them.

But that was not the thing that caught their attention.

 _Pitter, patter. Pitter, patter._

A pattering sound filled their ears as the familiar crimson liquid dripped down the walls. They were both sure that the rain has already ended, but the gentle tapping still reverberated in the confinement of the building's enclosure. An intolerable stench reached their noses and a feeling of dread spread into their systems.

Three armed men were impaled on the walls by a spear made of frozen blood, and the bright red color tainted them like a work of art. Their lifeless faces were contorted in agony as they suffered a short but painful death. It was a really grotesque scene, and the two couldn't help but hung their jaws open.

"Urp!"

Shigeru curled up as graphic images filled his mind. Bile rose up to his mouth, leaving a bitter aftertaste on his tongue. He clasped his hands on his mouth and let the shiny pistol fall onto the ground. Beads of sweat rolled down his face and his back, and his entire form trembled in extreme fear.

As he tried to compose himself, his eyes traveled to the side and saw Miharu together with Takehito with a few scratches on their skin, still flinching from the effects of the stun grenade. He ignored the impaled corpses on the side and crawled his way to the other two.

"O-oi! You guys okay..?"

The two opened their eyes and stared at the trembling teenage boy, and noticed that they finally regained their senses of sight and hearing. Takehito smiled faintly as he scratched the back of his head in a lax manner.

"They caught us off guard, then we screwed up a little..."

His halfhearted chuckle echoed through the tainted room like nothing happened. Miharu tried to stand up and leaned her back on the wall, clutching her head as a head splitting headache pounded her brain.

"...They might be heading to the main database, so we should hurry."

She wobbled as she took a step, her knees buckling from her own weight. As she gazed forward, she saw the electromaster standing still in the middle of the room, her hazel eyes staring at the bloody masterpiece that she created. A smile crept on Miharu's face as she placed her hands on her hips in a boastful manner.

"Does it suit your liking?"

Her voice was filled with mockery as she gazed at her bloody prize. She smiled a predatory grin and a spear of ice suddenly appeared in her hands.

On the other hand, Mikoto just stared at the grotesque scene in front of her with a confused look on her face. She didn't even flinch from the sight as she stood calmly at the center of the room. That beautiful shade was right in front of her, and she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Am I dreaming?"

Miharu heard her words and laughed mockingly, clutching her taut abdomen. As her laughter died down, she wiped the tears in her eyes and her cheeks started to ache.

"What? Is this the first time you saw this much blood, _ojou-sama?"_

Mikoto turned around and answered with a carefree attitude.

"Not really. I see those things on a daily basis. In my dreams, actually."

Miharu snickered silently as she stabbed the ice spear on the ground and leaned on it for support.

"Dreams? But that's a lot different from the real ones."

The electromaster crouched down and dipped her fingers in a pool of blood and watched as her fingertips get stained with the crimson color that she ever so hated.

"I know. But those dreams were actually some recurring memories of the past, and each of them showed more blood than this. Just to say, I'm a bit disappointed."

Her hand stopped travelling when her fingers touched something from the red liquid. A smile made its way to her face as she recognized what it was. She secretly kept the object inside her pocket, staining her clothes from the inside.

"What..?"

Shigeru muttered as he heard her answer. What did she mean by that? A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed nervously. Miharu clicked her tongue in annoyance as she stared at her calm demeanor, feeling irritated at the newbie who was seemingly unfazed from the grim sight before her. Takehito stood up from the ground and dusted his clothes off.

"Well, you actually went too far, Miharu. What would the old man say about this?"

He said in a reprimanding tone. He tried to walk as the effects of the stun grenade wore off, but his knees buckled from the pain on his legs. Blood dripped from his open wound and stained his dark colored pants. Takehito clicked his tongue as he sat back down again while applying pressure on the wound. Shigeru ran to his side and brought some fresh bandages out of his pocket.

"Takehito-san, stop moving for a while."

"I don't have a choice..."

Shigeru treated his wounds skillfully as he covered it with white bandages. The smell of blood tickled his nose and his face scrunched in disgust. Horrible memories flashed in his mind as he closed his eyes shut. Pictures of a gun, smiling children, mangled corpses and a bloody photograph filled his mind, and a sharp gasp escaped from his throat. He tried to seal the memory at the back of his mind as he stabilized his breathing.

Takehito flinched from the pain as he adjusted his legs. He scratched his scruffy chin and grinned at them.

"Well, I guess Mikoto-san and Miharu should proceed to the main room to stop that scoundrel. We'll be waiting here."

The two girls stared at each other for a while, then walked off to the same direction with a huge distance between them. They didn't like each other that much, and the others could totally see it. Takehito breathed out a sigh as he noticed how hopeless they were.

* * *

A heavy atmosphere hung in the air as the two walked to the main room. Their footsteps could be heard tapping against the cold floor, and the stretching silence pierced their ears. It was too quiet, and it made them feel uneasy. Mikoto could feel that some electronic equipment was working at the end of the dark pathway, so she decided to keep moving forward.

Miharu paced behind the electromaster with an ice spear in her hand, making the temperature a bit cold. Miyamoto Miharu was a level 4 cryokinesist. She was capable of creating different weapons made of ice by slowing down the movements of molecules in the air around her. And her power was not limited to creating weapons, but she could also turn everything she touches into ice. Her power had an unlimited degree of freedom, but she was not immune to its side effects, thus explaining her warm clothing.

She glared at the electromaster's back and gritted her teeth. The mere sight of her made Miharu's blood boil in annoyance, contrasting with her icy power. She didn't like how she was always calm and collected, then suddenly changes her emotions on simple things. It's infuriating.

Suddenly, in the middle of her thoughts, the subject of her hate stopped walking and blocked her way with her imposing back.

"Oi, keep walking. Or I'll carve a hole on your back."

"Why..."

"Huh?"

Mikoto turned around and glanced at her with her hazel eyes. Her stare was completely lacking any emotions that it gave Miharu an eerie feeling. She started to feel that the atmosphere was turning colder and colder without the aid of her powers.

"Why did you kill those people?"

There was no hatred in her voice. Just pure curiosity.

And this made Miharu's lips curve into an antagonizing smirk.

"Those bastards are like bacteria, they will just multiply unless you kill them."

She swung the ice spear and pointed it towards Mikoto's chin, its cold, sharp tip touching her pale skin. The girl's expression didn't change despite her dangerous position.

"And what do you think would happen if I didn't exterminate the bacteria immediately?"

She pierced her skin and drew a line up to her cheek without any traces of blood leaking from the newly created wound. Mikoto didn't even wince from the pain as it was dulled by the spear's cold temperature. Miharu smiled a toothy grin as she withdrew the spear from her face, tainting its tip with a hint of red.

"They will take everything from you."

She continued walking and passed by the electromaster who was standing still with her hands clenched. Miharu chuckled softly as she noticed her reaction, but it ceased as she heard the girl mumble something behind her.

"Ah, that's right. That's what I have to do."

Her footsteps echoed throughout the area as she drew closer to Miharu's post, stopping the cryokinesist from her tracks. Miharu tried to turn her head to look at her, but something stopped her from doing anything.

Mikoto held Miharu's chin from behind and tilted her face slightly, forcibly turning her cheek towards her. A sick grin greeted her as a piercing pain struck her cheek. The electromaster whispered silently to her ear, her warm breath tickling her skin.

"But, I won't let you get away that easily from what you did to my face."

"H-hey, you..."

The pain on her cheek was caused by a combat knife, its sharp edge piercing her skin until it bled. Mikoto drew a line on her skin similar to the wound on her face, then threw Miharu to the side, her back colliding to the walls. Mikoto walked away like nothing happened, her hands fiddling with her bloodstained weapon.

"Now we're even. I don't want to be indebted to anyone, you know?"

Miharu wiped the blood from her face and clicked her tongue. Everything happened so fast that she couldn't even struggle from her hold, and this made her feel more infuriated.

"You're too annoying, _Misaka Mikoto-sama."_

Despite her taunting, Mikoto didn't even try to look back at her. She just continued walking like she didn't hear anything. Now, Miyamoto Miharu is seriously pissed.

"You're acting so strong and mighty in front of those damned corpses, but I know who you are. You're just a weakling who claims to be a hero in front of the masses. From what I have heard, you couldn't even kill a single life. Why is that? You're scared, right?! You're putting the title of the third strongest to shame! You fucking coward!"

Misaka Mikoto stopped in her tracks, a dark atmosphere hanging in the air. She lowered the visor of her cap as its shadow covered half of her face.

"10,031."

"Huh? What-"

"That's the number of people that was killed by my own hands."

Her grip on the combat knife tightened as its metallic blade glinted from the dim lights on the ceiling. Blood stained the glove that was covering her right hand, leaving a rusty stain on the white cloth.

"Oh, if you consider the events on August 21, then that makes it 10,032."

She stated nonchalantly. She turned her head to stare at the startled cryokinesist, and her eyes mimicked the sharpness of the blade in her hand.

"Academy City doesn't want their representative to look bad in front of everyone, so they hid those facts away from the masses."

She sheathed the combat knife and kept it again in her pocket. A smile was seen on her face as she spoke.

"Why are you so shocked? You're face looked priceless. Well, those facts aren't something I should talk about. You should feel honored I spilled those stuff with you."

Miharu froze on her spot. She didn't know how to react. She just realized that she had never won any argument against her, and it was getting really tiring.

Mikoto continued to walk down the dark and narrow path, until she realized that something is in front of her.

"Ah."

"What?"

Miharu finally composed herself as she felt her anger boil once again.

"There's a door in front of me."

"It's the main room! Open it, dumbass!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Mikoto opened the door slowly and an uninvited guest greeted them. An armed man was pointing a gun on the largest computer in the room, his finger almost touching the trigger. The electromaster entered the room and caught the attention of the man, then he twisted around with the gun pointed at her. She stared at him with apathy glinting in her eyes, then smiled softly like she was just greeting an acquaintance.

* * *

Standing alone in a dark room, a man fiddled with the computers with his stubby fingers. A thin sheet of sweat decorated his face as he stared at the monitors with a troubled look in his eyes. He and his team were ordered to destroy every property of Yoshitaka Corporation, especially their research data. But, the thing was, he wasn't very good with computers.

"How do you even use this thing?!"

The man's name was Hagane Shinichi, a novice in the world of mercenaries. He typed randomly on the glowing keyboard and tried to delete some files, but he triggered an error message instead. He tried it again, and the results were the same. He placed his helmet to the side and scratched his head in frustration, his sweaty fringes twirling on his fingers.

"I was trained to shoot a gun, not to use some stupid machine!"

He slammed his fists on the touchscreen keyboard, creating a crack on the glass surface. The monitor buzzed from his action, and a new idea sprung in his mind. He slammed his fists again, and the images blurred. He hit it with greater force, and the keyboard broke down completely. A smile crept on his face as he reached for the gun strapped on his right thigh. He pulled it out, and pointed its muzzle on the high tech computer.

"If I shot this thing, it will be destroyed together with the files. Why haven't I thought of this earlier?"

His index finger was about to pull the trigger when an ominous sound reached his ears.

It was the sound of the door opening.

"Who's there?!"

He quickly turned around and pointed the gun in the door's direction where a ghastly sight awaited him. A pale skinned girl with a creepy demeanor entered the room with a blood stained glove covering her right hand. She had a cap on her head and she also had a lean but athletic build. Everything about her gave off a chilling feeling, almost like a...

 _'...ghost?'_

 _Fuck no. In this city of science, who would believe in such paranormal stuff?_ But still, his sweat felt cold on his back and his hands shivered while holding his gun. He swallowed hard as a lump formed in his throat. The girl casually walked away from the door and paced towards the computer like he was nonexistent. She touched the broken keyboard, then electricity traveled from her hand, making the keyboard function again. The man named Hagane Shinichi was too shocked to do anything, so he just watched her every movement with his gray eyes.

"Ah, this is bad. That guy played too much with the files. They're scattered everywhere."

"Just shut up and do your work."

"Tch. Slave driver."

Another voice was heard and he faced the source of sound. There was a blonde girl in front of the door, wearing some thick clothing which was probably not suited for today's hot weather. She had a spear made of ice in her hand, and this made him back away from the smaller figure.

"You're that girl from earlier!"

He exclaimed with mixed emotions. The girl stared at him for a while, then shifted her eyes to glare at the other girl.

"Oi. Why is this guy still here? I thought you took care of him when you entered."

"Hmm?"

The girl with a cap stared at him with her eerie eyes, then chuckled softly as she went back to work.

"Ah, that guy. His presence is too low that I forgot that he's actually here. He's not much of a threat though."

As he heard her words, Hagane gritted his teeth in anger. His pride was in the line here, he wouldn't let anyone mock him like that. He firmed his grip on the gun and pointed it at her in a threatening manner.

"Hey you. Back off, or I'll blow your head."

The girl stopped fiddling with the computer and turned her head to glance at him. Hagane's form trembled from her steely glare and a chill ran down his spine. Her face remained emotionless as she stated her response in a calm tone.

"Then shoot. It won't work on me anyway."

She resumed in sorting the data, completely ignoring his threatening words. A bead of sweat rolled down Hagane's face as his index finger shakily touched the trigger, then...

* * *

 _ **BANG!**_

The sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the building.

Shigeru jumped from the sudden sound then stared warily at his surroundings. His head turned left and right as his eyes traveled around the room. When he finally confirmed that they were safe, he sat back down on the floor and breathed out a sigh of relief. There were no signs of someone attacking them. Instead, there were three dead men who were skewered on the walls with their blood dripping on the floor. The murder weapon was a spear made of frozen blood, and this was the source of the bloodshed as it melted in room temperature. Their wounds stopped bleeding as soon as they were made as the iciness of the spear chilled their blood vessels and blocked the way. Those three men were hit on their vital organs, thus ceasing their bodily functions. The teenage boy's stomach twisted as his eyes hovered over the lifeless corpses.

"It's getting rowdy over there..."

Takehito said as he flinched from the pain on his bleeding leg. The wound on his leg was caused by a gunshot, the bullet embedding itself in his muscles. It hindered him from moving properly, so they decided to wait for the others until they finished the job. He was sitting on a corner while holding a cross shaped pendant, running his thumb all over its surface. After a few minutes, the sound of gunshots could be heard firing consecutively. Its rhythm was off, and it started to sound desperate. The two men stared at each other as they wondered on the girls' situation.

"I wonder if they're okay."

"Don't worry, soldier. Those girls are tougher than the two of us combined. They're probably fine."

The gruff man said with a chuckle as the young soldier stared at him. It was true that Miharu was a really strong girl, and she could always find a way to escape if things got out of hand. But as for the newbie, whom they called Mikoto-san, they didn't have any idea. Judging from the look in her eyes and her overall demeanor, she must be a high level esper. She must be on par with their ace, Miharu, or probably stronger.

And the truth was, it was actually the latter.

"Hey, Takehito-san."

"Hmm?"

"Don't you think that she looked familiar?"

"Who?"

"You know who I'm talking about."

"Ah, Mikoto-san. Hmm... Who knows."

Takehito held his chin as he contemplated the younger boy's question. On the first time she was introduced to them, the thought also went through his mind. The old man also mentioned that she was quite famous, maybe she was a celebrity? Well, who knows.

"It felt like I have seen her somewhere before..."

"Yeah, me too."

"Eh, really?"

Then silence. Their conversation just hit a dead end as the two stared at the ceiling with nothing else to say with the topic. Takehito continued to caress the cross shaped pendant then stared at it intently, taking his mind away from the pain at a certain degree. That pendant has always been with him since he was young because he grew up in a religious family. Moving in to a city of science was actually ironic for a man of religion like him. A soft chuckle escaped his throat as he noticed how foolish he was.

"Hey Takehito-san, you alright?"

"Yeah. Just remembered something."

"Ehh… That's weird."

Shigeru was trying his hardest to ignore the bloody stench that emanated from the impaled bodies at their right side. His stomach was also near its limit, but he endured it and swallowed the bile that was rising to his throat. The gruff man didn't even notice his composure crumbling away as he was more distracted by the wound on his leg. The young soldier could easily read Takehito despite his strong and outgoing personality. He could also see him flinching slightly every few minutes and the sweat flowing down his face dropped in rivulets. It must be really painful, and he actually knew that feeling. That feeling of being shot by a gun. He already experienced it thrice, and it wasn't a pleasant memory. He curled into a ball as his past memories opened a wound in his heart.

"Ah, the noise has stopped."

Takehito said as he stared at the ceiling. Shigeru also noticed this, and loosened his posture.

"What do you think happened?"

"I don't have any idea…"

The two men breathed out a sigh and waited for their teammates to return, their back leaning against the wall. It was actually starting to get really boring for the two of them, if not for the dead bodies and the wound on the gruff man's leg.

"They sure are taking their time, huh…"

* * *

Hagane Shinichi breathed heavily as he held his pistol in his hands. He was pretty sure that he aimed it perfectly on the pale girl, so he was utterly shocked as he stared wide eyed in front of him. At this distance, the possibility of him missing his target would be very low, but the outcome stated the opposite.

The girl was still typing some incoherent stuff in the computer, completely unharmed.

And the bullet hit the wall behind her instead. He could also notice that his gun swerved to the side like it had a mind of its own. He stared at the girl with a quizzical look and his hands trembled in unexplainable fear.

"I told you it's not going to work, right?"

The girl said without even looking at him. The glowing monitor illuminated her face and her hazel eyes reflected its display. Electricity sparked from her head and zapped the air around her. Hagane looked terrified as he pointed his gun at her again.

"H-how did you do that?!"

"You haven't noticed? I shifted your aim at the last minute with magnetism."

Hagane clicked his tongue in frustration. He couldn't think of another way to defeat the girl as his mind was muddled by her actions. How could she be so calm? And the way she was treating an adult like him, her arrogance pissed him off. He had already used up his grenades earlier, and his gun seemed to be ineffective. He racked his brain for any ideas as he held the gun tightly in his hands. Should he run away? But the other girl was guarding the doorway and he almost just saved his ass from that cryokinesist earlier, so that idea was rejected. Should he disable the electromaster in front of him? Judging from the situation, that idea was outright impossible. Could there be a way to dispatch the two espers around him?

Or could he be able to do something else?

An idea struck his mind as he stared at the computer in front of him. He might not make it out alive, but he still had a job to finish. He pointed his gun at the electromaster in a futile attempt with his composure slowly coming back to him.

"What are you doing?"

Hagane didn't answer the girl's question and stood firmly on his post, his index finger touching the trigger. He fired the gun at the girl but his aim swerved again to the side. A smile crept on his face as he used its momentum to willingly shift his gun to the side, now aiming at the large computer in a split second. The girl finally tore her gaze away from the monitor as she watched his next move.

"Damn!"

The girl cursed as she realized his plan. Hagane fired repeatedly on the computer with his eyes closed, preparing himself from any attack that would come his way.

 _'If I could overwhelm her with speed and number, she might not be able to fend off the bullets. Destroying the files is the top priority, so I better do the job!'_

"Or so I would like to say."

The calm voice of the girl startled him as he opened his eyes. He stared at the sight in front of him, and his breath felt stuck in his throat.

The computer had a few holes on its side, but its system was still functioning properly.

He was trying to aim at its main processor, but the bullets missed its target by a few centimeters. He checked his gun and noticed that it was still aimed perfectly, unlike his first attempt. The gun didn't swerve to the side, but he still missed his aim. He lowered his gun as he hopelessly stared at the electromaster girl near the computer.

"What the..."

"I figured you would do that, so I used another trick. I better be prepared, you know?"

He loosened his grip on the gun and it slipped from his hands, its metallic frame clattering on the floor. His shoulders sagged and he slumped on the floor, feeling hopeless from the turn of events. The electromaster stepped closer and crouched in front of him with a flash drive in hand while waving it in the air.

"I may not have the power to stop a volley of bullets in midair on my current state, but those are still made of metal."

Hagane didn't even bother to reply as he dwelled on his own powerlessness. Ah, he's going to die today. Electricity zapped from her fringe as she continued her explanation.

"I somehow tweaked the bullets' trajectories a little so that they won't destroy the computer. It was actually a close call, because that's the extent of my power's influence on fast-moving metallic projectiles."

She threw the flash drive to the cryokinesist then crossed her arms over her knees as she stared at his defeated form.

"Well, if you managed to destroy the computer, it still doesn't matter. I'm finished with the back up anyway."

Then her lips curved into a twisted smile as she held his chin to stare directly at his face.

"I just wanted to see that priceless expression on your face on the exact moment that you finally realized how worthless you are."

Streaks of electricity jumped out of her form as it dangerously crackled near his face. Hagane could feel his hair standing on its ends from the static around him, but he didn't care. He was going to die anyway. The electromaster let go of his chin as he bobbed his head lifelessly in response.

"Hey, Miyamoto-san. You could go on without me."

The cryokinesist near the door stared at the electromaster in disgust and clicked her tongue. She turned her back and walked out of the room with the flash drive in hand.

"Yeah, I was about to do that. I don't want to be stuck in this place with a person like you, anyway."

As she closed the door, the electromaster's attention shifted back to him and he felt like a prey being hunted by a wild beast. He could hear his heart thumping loudly in his chest as her hazel eyes stared eerily at him.

"Then, how do you want to die by my hands? I give you the freedom to choose from a lot of imaginable choices."

"I... I-!"

He backed away from the girl until his back reached the wall. His eyes showed tremendous fear as the personification of despair stood right in front of him with its teeth showing in a wide smirk. His mind screamed his impossible wish as his entire body trembled with great intensity.

 _'I don't want to die... I don't want to die, I don't want to die, Idon'wanttodieIdon'twanttodieIDON'TWANTTODIEIDON'TWANTTODIE, I-!'_

"-I DON'T WANT TO DIIIIIEEEEEE!"

He pulled a combat knife out of his pocket and charged at the girl. The knife pierced the girl's left shoulder, its icy blade digging into her muscles. Her face contorted into a grimace as she felt the sharp pain that struck her shoulder, then she fell down on her knees. Hagane backed away again as he desperately searched for an escape.

"Help, help, help, help, help-"

"No one's going to help you except me."

The girl stood groggily as a creepy smile was painted on her face. Her right hand reached for something in her pocket and pulled it out in one swift motion. The object in her hand glinted from the glowing computer screen as it was the only source of light in the dark room. Hagane's eyes widened as he stared at the weapon in her hand.

"No, please! Don't kill me! I'm begging you!"

"I'm going to save you."

* * *

Mikoto stood in front of the man as he cowered in fear. His eyes were completely locked on the knife in her right hand as he shook his head hysterically. Ah, that expression on his face was really exhilarating. Since when did she start to feel this way? She didn't know. But lately, she was starting to enjoy the things that she hated the most. Everytime she would see those things, she couldn't help but smile a devilish grin. A dry chuckle escaped her throat as she paced closer to the trembling man.

"Don't be afraid. This would be the end, anyway."

The man flinched in her every step as he curled into a ball in a corner, shielding his face with his muscular arms. Her feet tapped gently on the cold floor and the blade reflected the scenery around her. As she took another step, something collided with her feet and a clattering sound was heard. She stared down the floor and saw something really useful to her. She picked it up and raised it at eye level, staring at its lustrous frame with delighted eyes.

"This was the thing that you used earlier, right?"

The man yelped as he saw the gun and started clawing desperately on the walls, his fingernails breaking from his futile actions. Mikoto observed the object in her hand like a child testing her new toy, except that the 'toy' was something absolutely dangerous. She pointed it at the man and exclaimed excitedly.

"Then, saving you would be a lot of fun with this guy!"

She crouched in front of him once again with the gun dangerously close to his face. The man's teeth clattered against each other as he stared at the gun's muzzle. Mikoto looked confused as she stared at his trembling form with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you so scared? I'm just going to save you."

"S-save... me?"

"Yeah!"

An innocent looking smile adorned her face as she nodded vigorously. The gun was still close to the man's face, but hearing the word 'save' made him ignore the approaching threat in her hands. He loosened his position and stared blankly at her with his lifeless eyes.

"Don't you know that this world is full of bad people? They would use you, hurt you, reject you, and do a lot of evil stuff."

She pointed the gun at his temples but his expression didn't change. Its muzzle was directly touching his head and he could feel his life slipping away from him.

"That's why I decided to save everyone! Cool, right?"

Her finger almost touched the trigger as she caressed his cheek with her left hand, with streams of blood flowing down her arm.

"There are different ways to save people, but I will only demonstrate just one."

The man just stared blankly at her eyes and his face looked like he had finally seen the end of all his suffering.

"After this, no one is able to hurt you anymore."

She pushed the gun harshly against his head and she could hear his breath hitching from her action. A smile was seen on his face as his eyes welled up with tears.

"Y-you're going to save me, right?"

"Yeah."

He placed a hand on the gun and willingly aimed it at his head.

"T-then, please do it."

Mikoto grinned wider as she stared at his ecstatic but hopeless expression. The man's breathing was getting ragged and his heartbeat thundered loudly in his ears. His entire body shivered in extreme delight as he anticipated his instant salvation.

"Okay, but before I do that, could you tell me your name?"

The man opened his mouth to answer and drool trickled down his chin.

"Ha-Hagane... Shinichi."

"Hagane-san, right? Nice to meet you."

Then she unhesitatingly pulled the trigger.

Blood splattered across the walls as the bullet jammed itself in his skull, scrambling his brain and passing through the other end. A bit of crimson liquid stained her hands and her face as she withdrew the gun from his shattered temples. A bubbling feeling filled her chest and she slumped tiredly down the floor, her legs spread out in an unladylike manner. Her hazel eyes gazed at the ceiling in a daze, then her ominous laughter echoed throughout the room.

"Ahahahaha..."

It has been a while since she laughed like this, and she felt relieved that she could still do it even on a really different situation.

"Ahahaha, haha... gu..."

But her laughter easily died down and was replaced by a distant sound.

She was sobbing faintly beneath her laughter as her eyes unknowingly welled up. Tears ran down from her hazel eyes and mixed with the crimson paint that decorated her face. The clear liquid washed the impurities on her face as they vanished slowly from its wake. But behind all this, a smile was still painted on her face.

"Are you happy now?"

Blood continued to drip from her shoulder in small amounts as the blade was still jammed in her wound. She continued to talk to herself as she clenched her fists tightly.

"You finally saved someone without anyone's help."

Despite the encouraging words that came out of her mouth, tears continued to roll down her face.

"We finally did it, Mikoto."

She stood up and walked to the door with her weak legs. She spared a final glance at the room before she completely walked away.

"I should be happy, right?"

Then she closed the door, leaving the man named Hagane Shinichi sprawled on the floor and bathing on his own blood. His face showed a blissful expression, but his half lidded eyes showed nothing but despair.

* * *

Three people waited for their last comrade in a blood stained room. It has been a few minutes since the third person joined them, and they were starting to feel impatient. They tried to busy themselves as they sat on the cold floor.

Shigeru stared at the ceiling with nothing in mind. He was starting to get used to the stench around him, and he didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

Takehito replaced the bandage on his wound as neatly as he could. His pendant dangled from his neck as he bent down to treat his own wound.

Miharu tapped her fingers impatiently, completely losing her cool as she hated the concept of waiting, especially if she was waiting for someone she really detested. As her patience was cutting short, she stood up hastily and placed a hand on her hip, a frown painted on her face.

"She's taking too long. That newbie did not even try to contact us with that damned earpiece. Let's go and leave her here."

"Eh? But Miharu, we can't do that. The old man might get angry with us... And that would be really bad."

Shigeru said as she stared at the blonde girl. Her thick jacket was sprinkled with red and rusty stains, especially at the sleeves. Those stains burned in his eyes as he hastily glanced away.

"Yeah. Besides, I think she'll be back in a few seconds- Oh, speaking of the devil..."

The three glanced at the narrow opening at the side of the room and they heard some slow and arrhythmic footsteps echoing from the passageway. As the source of sound reached their vision, they unknowingly held their breath. Standing a few meters away from them, a weary girl with a blade stabbed in her shoulder leaned on the wall as she tried to take another step. Blood could be seen splattered across her face and her hands, and a bit of that red liquid also stained her clothes. Her steely hazel eyes were dimming with lethargy and their corners looked a bit red from an unknown reason. Her entire image looked like a disaster.

As his eyes landed on the wounded figure, Shigeru quickly stood up and ran to her, ignoring the red puddle that splattered around in his every step. The other two just watched him as they were more shocked with her appearance.

"H-hey! Are you alright? W-whaa?!"

The girl suddenly fell on his chest as he successfully caught her in time. He held her at her arms and he could notice that she was not just physically tired.

"Uhh... The blade is still on your shoulder, we got to treat your wound fast."

The girl pushed with her weak arms and stood up on her own again, her eyes staring at the wound on her left shoulder.

"Ah, right. I forgot to pull this out."

"W-w-wait-!"

She reached for the blade's handle with her right hand and pulled it out with indifference shown on her face. The blood that stained the blade splattered from the sudden movement and sprayed across Shigeru's clothes. His face paled as he saw the crimson liquid rushing out from her shoulder and dripping down her arm in large amounts.

"H-hey! I told you to wait, right?!"

"..."

Shigeru brought out a roll of bandages from his pocket and carefully treated her wound. The other two slowly made it to their posts as they gathered in one place.

"Hey, why did you let that guy stab you? You evaded all of his attacks earlier, then you came back with this?"

"Miharu, give her a rest..."

Miharu huffed as Takehito scolded her. The wound on the man's leg turned less painful than earlier, so he could now stand on his own and take a few steps.

The chestnut haired girl smiled tiredly as she felt her every muscle too painful to move.

"Who knows... I also asked myself about it, maybe I yearned for it..?"

Suddenly, the impaled corpses fell down the floor as the ice spear slid off from the walls. The ice might have melted and lost its ability to support their weight. The electromaster chuckled softly, and it sounded really out of place. Shigeru swallowed hard as he helped the girl walk, his face still pale from the bloodshed around him.

"We should go back. The old man's waiting for us."

But before they moved, Takehito noticed something strange with the girls then pointed it out nonchalantly.

"Wait Miharu, where did you get that wound on your face? I don't remember seeing that before we split up. Oh, Mikoto-san has it, too."

"... Things happened."

Miharu ran a finger across her wound, while the brunette smirked at her direction. She clicked her tongue and walked forward, leading their way to the exit.

Then the group slowly walked away and made their exit through the fire escape as a black car waited for them. Little did they know that on their departure, a certain teleporter arrived at the rooftop of the building at the nick of time, and this would be a night that she won't ever forget.

* * *

Shirai Kuroko stood at the rooftop of a white building, breathing heavily from overexertion. She had been using her powers nonstop, and this made her completely exhausted. But, her determined eyes showed that she couldn't take a rest. With the last ounce of her power, she teleported the lock of the door and slowly entered, her heart beating loudly in her chest. Something felt wrong from the building's atmosphere, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

The whole building was deserted, but she could see that some people were here earlier. She observed every floor of the building and found nothing, until she reached a maze of narrow passageways. A few holes decorated the walls and she already knew what caused them at first glance.

 _'Gunshots?'_

She followed the trail and a heavy feeling weighed her down. Something was completely off about this, and she was sure of it. Her dainty hands traced the walls as she leaned on them for support. In her current state, using her power was near impossible.

Her every step felt heavy and a creepy aura hung in the air. As she continued to walk the building's interior, her eyes landed at a well lit room at the end of the passageway. She mustered her strength and paced forward to reach the room.

As she drew closer and closer to the room, an unbelievable stench reached her nostrils. Her face crinkled as she covered her nose in disgust. Despite the ominous smell, she persisted to move forward and reach the room. Her mind debated if she was doing the right thing, but she thought that it was too late to think of that. Her footsteps got closer and closer until...

She was greeted by a horrific sight.

Three impaled corpses swam in a pool of their own blood as an icy spear protruded from their abdomen. The spear looked smaller than their wounds as most of it had already melted from the warm temperature. There was also a fist sized hole on the wall, probably made by the sharp end of the spear. Their lifeless faces were contorted in agony as it darkened from blood loss.

Kuroko couldn't believe the horrible sight in front of her, and her body started to gave away. Bile rose to her mouth as she threw up, emptying her stomach in the process. She had never seen a sight as terrifying as this one, and the shock was too unbearable.

She could feel her phone vibrating nonstop against her thighs, and she couldn't find the strength to pick it up just yet. Her legs started to move on its own as she found herself running away from the bloodshed. She ran and ran, her heartbeat hammering against her ribcage. Her breathing started to become uneven as she used all of her energy to run away, and her body also screamed in protest. Tears were present at the corner of her eyes as she approached the nearest exit, pushing it open with her weak arms.

Her knees gave away as she finally left the interior of the building, her entire form trembling tremendously. She felt safe for a while, until her eyes landed at the parking lot a few meters away from her.

Pieces of melted metal swirled in grotesque shapes as it was utterly destroyed beyond recognition. The asphalt was also dyed black, unlike its usual grayish color. A few people were also scattered around with burns all over their bodies, and she could clearly see that they were already beyond saving.

She stifled a gasp and covered her mouth, her eyes widening from the scene that stood before her. What the hell is going on? She didn't know the answer. She gathered herself and stood again on her last legs, concentrating on escaping the entire place. She could still feel her phone vibrating in her skirt's pocket, but she didn't pick it up until she was somewhere far away from the area of chaos.

Her hands trembled as she answered the call, still feeling horrified from the things that she saw earlier. She placed the phone near her ear, and the usual whiny voice of her flowery friend greeted her.

 _"Shirai-san! Why aren't you picking up?! I'm completely worried about you!"_

Worry filled the girl's voice as she scolded her friend for being too impulsive and for almost giving her a heart attack.

"...Uiharu."

 _"Eh..?"_

Uiharu sensed the uneasiness from the other line as she heard her wavering voice. A cold sweat ran down her back and a chilling feeling filled her senses.

"I... I'm going home..."

 _"What happened there?! Shirai-san! Answer me please!"_

Kuroko slumped down the concrete as she felt completely wasted, her knees scraping against its rough surface.

"I'll tell you tomorrow..."

 _"But-!"_

"Please..."

Her tired voice silenced Uiharu, and this made her feel more worried. But if Kuroko was really tired that she wouldn't like to talk of anything, she would not push her friend to do so. A worried frown was painted on her face as she answered in a small voice.

 _"Okay... Take care on your way home."_

"Thank you, Uiharu..."

Then Kuroko brought down the phone, clicking a button to end the call. Her mind was a mess as the horrifying images popped up from her memories. She somehow regretted investigating the area on her own. But what good would it have caused if she was with someone else at that time? In the end, everything was just too traumatic for her. And the whole scene also confused her to no end.

Who could have caused that kind of tragedy?

What was Misaka Mikoto's connection in this incident?

Was it a clue on her whereabouts? Or was it something different?

Did she hit another dead end?

She didn't know.

She didn't want to know.

Her mind was too baffled to know the answers to her questions.

Shirai Kuroko stood alone in the middle of the night, a blanket of stars illuminating the skies above. The clouds has finally dissipated as the moon glowed in its full glory.

And a stygian car travelled the road at the same time, speeding up under the moonlight and the twinkling of the stars.

They both roam under the same sky, yet they belong in two different worlds.

Yes, that was the best way to describe it.

* * *

Author's note :

Uhohoi~ hello there. I'm finally back. After two whole months, I actually gave you this badly written chapter?! Really?! Or is it because I'm just too pessimistic? Well, you decide. Sorry for the late update... A lot of things happened... Yeah... And I've been slacking off more often these days...

I'm a complete no good.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter... It even reached 12,500+ words (minus the author's note, I think). Yeah. This was a complete struggle to write. I'm f**king tired. Whoo.

I'm not really creative about most stuff, but I think I'm more of a dramatic and a psychological writer. Yeah. I love those stuff. So if anyone of you saw something odd, please forgive me.

And another riddle! Yay! How could the Misaka Mikoto of this universe change in just a short amount of time?

Don't you find it odd?

Sounds fishy, right?

You noticed this, too?... Good for you!

But I'm not going to answer it directly. Answers will slowly show itself before you guys, so be patient.

There's actually another question, but I can't put it into words... Forget it.

But remember this: Everything is not certain. Things may also fail even if you already did it twice. You're not even sure if you did it right on your first attempt...

My sincerest thanks to those readers who joined me in this painful ride. Another chapter has been posted once again, and the hands of the clock started to make its move.

How long could our protagonist last in her mission of 'saving' people?

See you again next time!

yayayayay!


	13. Broken Record and Blurred Lenses

_The sounds of splashing and pattering filled her senses. She opened her eyes, but she couldn't see anything in the crumbling darkness. The void that surrounded her twisted and crumpled in her vision, making her eyes hurt. As she stepped back, she could feel something wet and warm move together with her legs, reaching halfway below her knees. The familiar feeling clicked in her mind as she reached a final conclusion._

 _Her legs were submerged in an unknown liquid._

 _She strained her eyes but she still couldn't see anything, even her own hands. Wait, hands? Something was definitely off with her right one. She tried touching it with her left in a blind search, but she couldn't catch it. She couldn't even feel anything on her right, as if it didn't exist._

 _It didn't... exist?_

 _She could feel that something was wrong. No, EVERYTHING WAS COMPLETELY WRONG. She twisted around to search for some source of light for she couldn't bear the darkness that pierced her eyes. As she walked blindly on the flooded ground, she felt something tug her leg in a firm grip. She stared down at the foreign feeling that touched her as slowly as she could. Finally, she could see something amidst the unnatural abyss._

 _A girl with chestnut colored hair clung onto her left leg like her life depended on it. Her gaze was still and cold, lacking any sort of warmth and emotion. She wore black goggles over her head, cracked and broken beyond repair. Its green lenses illuminated dimly atop her head as they flickered in an unpredictable rhythm. Half of her body was submerged in the unknown liquid, but it seemed like she didn't care. Red ink was splattered all over her, including her face. She tried to open her mouth as a cold and emotionless voice was produced from her throat._

 _"Onee-sama..."_

 _As the girl's voice reached her ears, memories suddenly flooded in her mind, including the memory of the girl in front of her. She flinched as she took a step back, her left hand clutching her head in a futile attempt of stopping the surging pain in her brain. Her eyes were tightly closed, and her chest felt constricted and empty at the same time._

 _The ringing in her ears had finally stopped so she opened her eyes. It was still so dark, yet she could see everything that moved within the pool of red paint. Girls of the same faces floated from the liquid and jerkily stood one by one in front of her._

 _A soft chuckle came out of her throat as she finally remembered what was happening before her._

 _"Oh, right. I'm dreaming again."_

 _As if on cue, the girls suddenly fell like dominoes after her declaration. Something invisible would hit them that would cause them to fall back down on the red paint. Some of them would lose their limbs or any part of their body before they would crash down. As they splashed on the ground, she started counting aloud with a neutral expression._

 _"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7..."_

 _This routine has been repeating ever since she went back to her body. She would stand in the middle of ten thousand broken girls and watch as they die in an orderly fashion. Even though it was really tiring to count them all, she would never stop until she finally wakes up from this dream. It was her only way to keep her mind and sanity intact._

 _"3954, 3955, 3956, 3957, 3958..."_

 _Time didn't exist in this dimension. No matter how large the number she was muttering, it would feel like only a minute has passed. Her words would sound distorted to her ears as the numbers melded together in an abstract combination. Her disinterested eyes would stare blankly at her front and the girls' images would reflect on them like a mirror. Red ink spilled from their wounds as it filled the area, and the red liquid's level would increase significantly at the same time. As she reached the 5,000 mark, the liquid has already reached her waist. She couldn't identify what color her shirt was before the start of the countdown, but now it's entirely dyed with red. Her legs felt numb as the crimson wetness seeped into her skin. Well, she didn't care anyway._

 _"7088, 7089, 7090, 7091, 7092, 7093, 7094..."_

 _The red paint has already reached her chest as the strong waves crashed into her ribs. It was getting really hard to breathe, but she still counted nonetheless. The liquid was ironically warm and cold. The cozy warm feeling lulled her to close her eyes yet a sharp chill drilled into her bones like knives with jagged edges. She stood still, her words getting slower and her heart beating faster._

 _"9043... 9044... 9045... 9046... 9047... 9048..."_

 _The tide went higher and higher until she reached the 9,000 mark, where she was completely submerged in red paint. She couldn't count with her mouth anymore, so she continued to count them in her mind. While holding her breath, her eyes scanned the environment around her. She could see those broken girls slowly approaching her until they were swarming around the breathless dreamer. They clung unto her body and pulled her down as if to drown her, yet she didn't struggle against their grasps. Her mind was entirely occupied with numbers and fleeting thoughts that she almost forgot that her lungs were about to burst._

 _"10001... 10002... 10003... 10...004... 100..."_

 _How long was she dreaming? This was the highest number she had ever dreamed in her whole life. Her previous dreams didn't even reach the 5,000 mark and the liquid only reached her knees. She must be sleeping for a very long time. Or was she really sleeping? She couldn't help but smile from the thought. Her body felt heavy as the weight of ten thousand girls pulled her down. Her knees gave away and crashed loudly against the cold and moist floor._

 _"10029... 10030... 10031... Finally..."_

 _Her vision blurred from the red liquid that went into her eyes, then she released the breath she was holding the entire time. The liquid bubbled from the sudden gust of air but it soon vanished as it lost its source. The red paint entered her nostrils and invaded her lungs as she clutched her chest painfully from the stabbing sensation inside her._

 _"Ah, I'm so tired..."_

 _She lay face flat on the floor, her soul completely giving up from the intense exhaustion that was streaming down her entire body. The weight of her sins crushed her down and her bones felt like it would break from the intense pressure._

 _As her body started to break bit by bit, her heart has already broken down. Red tears formed at the corner of her eyes and mixed together with the liquid of the same hue._

 _"Just give me a break..."_

 _She managed to voice out despite the lack of oxygen in her lungs. Her voice cracked as hics and sobs were produced from her throat. Her hazel eyes slowly closed from exhaustion and her hand lay flatly beside her, trying to claw on the moist ground with the last ounce of her strength._

 _"I just wanted to rest... away from this guilt-driven world."_

 _Her left hand managed to grip firmly on the muddy ground then she clenched her teeth. She tried to push herself up from the floor with only a single hand to support her. Her body screamed in protest as she opposed the weight on her back, but she still persevered despite the pain._

 _"That's why..."_

 _She opened her hazel eyes and gazed in front of her. She pushed herself off her limits as she successfully kneeled up from her previous position. A low growl vibrated from her throat as she fought with all her remaining strength._

 _"I can't give up just yet..."_

 _Her surroundings slowly distorted into a mosaic of crimson crystal shards and fell down into a strangely white abyss like pieces of broken glass. Amidst the falling sensation, a voice resounded faintly in her ears and called out for her name._

 _"Mikoto."_

 _It was of unknown origin. She didn't know if it came from someone around her, or if it came directly from her own mouth. She didn't really know. Her mind was a complete mess and she couldn't identify where the voice came from. A soothing feeling suddenly overwhelmed her as she slowly closed her eyes, a faint smile slowly forming on her face._

 _"In waking up again."_

 _And she didn't know if that was a good thing or not._

* * *

Misaka Mikoto opened her eyes, but closed them again as the blinding light of a cool morning assaulted her pupils. She squinted and placed a hand over her face to block the sunlight, then sat up straight to observe her surroundings.

She was in a fairly wide room with pristine white walls. The whole room smelled of antiseptics as she took a deep breath. To her left, there was an open window where the sunlight probably came from. The curtains decorating the window swayed in the wind as a cool breeze passed by. She turned her head to her right and saw a small table with a pitcher and a glass of water on top of it. She then stared at herself and saw that she was covered with thick white blankets to protect her from the cold. She also wore a mint green hospital gown that further supported her speculation.

She's in a hospital.

She tried reaching for the glass of water on the top of the table but a sharp pain pierced her left shoulder. She almost forgot the reason why she was admitted in the first place. Her hand touched her shoulder gently as to not to apply too much pressure on the wound. She slowly went back to her previous position with her artificial hand on her shoulder.

Soon after, a soft click was heard and the door opened for her to see a familiar frog faced doctor entering the room.

"So you're finally awake. You sure took quite a rest."

"How long was I asleep?"

"You're unconscious for three days.'

"Three... days?"

She glanced again at her surroundings and saw a small calendar at a corner. Yep, it's been three days alright.

"Your body is still not ready to do some strenuous activity, and it seems that you overworked yourself."

Well, climbing buildings, controlling guns and bullets, and being stabbed on the shoulder were things that a person who was just discharged from the hospital shouldn't do because it causes overwork. Lesson learned.

But she can do all of that before without getting this much exhausted. Maybe because she went out of the hospital earlier than needed. Yeah, that's it.

"But what about work?"

She voiced out in a weird tone. It was not like she enjoyed going there, yet she could feel that a certain old man needed her help. _He needed her help._

"Don't worry, Yoshitaka said that you can rest as much as you want."

Mikoto stared at the doctor's face. His face didn't always give away any emotions except his normal one (his old froggy smile) most of the time, but this time, he looked like he was troubled with something. The way his forehead creased showed that something was bothering the old man. He stared straight into her eyes and opened his mouth to speak.

"Are you sure you're not going to change your mind?"

"That question again?"

She said tiredly. She had heard this sentence from him for a hundred times already, yet the doctor wouldn't still get her point. Once she has made a decision, there's no way that she would turn back. Moving forward was the only choice that she had.

"You're the one who endorsed me to that job, right? Why are you worrying your head so much?"

The man paused for a while before answering with his head tilted slightly downwards.

"I'm not worried about you working under Yoshitaka's company."

"Then what-"

"I'm worried about your actions."

"Huh?"

She was a bit surprised that the doctor actually cut her off. Heaven Canceller now stared at her with stern eyes and his face stiffened into a serious expression.

 _'Heh. It doesn't suit him.'_

"Don't pretend that you didn't know what I'm talking about."

"..."

She remained silent. Her eyes gazed at her left as she withdrew her hand from her shoulder. She saw a red stain then poked curiously at it.

"Yoshitaka told me about the incident that happened before you were brought here."

"Ah, the stitch popped..."

"Stop doing that and listen to me."

She stopped her hands and lifted her gaze towards the old doctor. Because of her poking, the red stain had stretched further, spreading on the fabric on her shoulder.

"What about it?"

Her piercing gaze collided with his scolding eyes. The girl's statement itself sounded out of place, and now that she was staring eye to eye with him really bothered the old man.

"He said that the mission's sole objective was to copy the data from the database then leave immediately."

"So?"

"He also stated that there was a lot of unnecessary casualties, and it actually saddened him."

"Oh, that? Miyamoto-san did most of the work."

"That's not the point."

"Then say it directly, that would make it a lot easier to understand."

She shifted her position and let her legs dangle freely on the side of the bed. Her gaze still pierced straight at him, an amused glint present on her hazel eyes. The old man breathed in deeply before replying from her sly remark.

"Hagane Shinichi."

"..."

She didn't answer, but the amusement in her face became more obvious. The corners of her lips slowly curved upwards and her eyes started to look condescending.

"What did you do to him?"

"Hmm... You knew the answer, right? Yoshitaka-san should have told you that much."

Heaven Canceller breathed out a sigh as he heard her response. His wrinkly face carried sadness and disappointment on what the girl has become. He didn't knew her that much before that incident, but he definitely knew in his gut that the previous Misaka Mikoto was a person of great morals and pure kindness based on the few times he saw her. He didn't expect to see her change into this person, apathetic and unpredictable. When she was still using 10032's body as a medium for her consciousness, she was still the cheerful and caring young lady that he knew. But after she got her body back, her overall demeanor started to change. As time passed by, the light in her eyes slowly dimmed and the way she smiled felt a bit off. This made a question pop in his mind as he continued to stare at the girl's smirking face.

"Are you really the Misaka Mikoto that I knew?"

The question made the wounded girl jolt in her position. The thrilled expression on her face ceased and was replaced with a sad smile. Actually, sad was an understatement. It was a mixture of a lot of emotions that seemed impossible to put into words. She averted her eyes and glanced at her left, hiding herself from the warm sunlight peeking through the window. Misaka Mikoto finally replied, her hand gripping her other arm in a firm hold.

"I'm not really sure myself."

The doctor was quite perplexed from the change in tone, like there was an internal switch that was unknowingly flipped in the depths of her mind. She finally glanced up and stared at the doctor with her hazel eyes. She almost looked like she was about to cry.

"It's just that I don't feel like myself anymore."

"...?!"

Heaven Canceller was greatly alarmed by her quick change of emotions for the umpteenth time. It was proved to be difficult to catch up with her mood swings, but this sudden burst of emotions made the doctor stumble back slightly. He was expecting the girl to reply with another of her sarcastic and sly words, but instead he received a vague answer with tears on her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

As he recovered from his shock, the girl clarified her words without much hesitation.

"In the past few days, a sharp sensation would claw the back of my head. I wanted it to stop, but it would only cease if I let it for a while."

She moved her hand to touch her head and bury her fingers in her hair. Her fingers traced the scalp at the back of her head as she remembered where the sensation would always strike. She brought her hand back down to latch on her arm again.

"I'm starting to enjoy the things that I would normally hate, which silently torments me in the inside. And also..."

The doctor listened patiently as she stated her thoughts. Talking to her like this brought back the persona of a young girl that she was before. He could feel that this girl was still Misaka Mikoto, but he couldn't understand why and how could the girl change in such a brief amount of time.

On the other hand, Mikoto's grip on her arm tightened. Something was stopping her to continue her words. She gritted her teeth in frustration for she couldn't understand herself.

" ... Nevermind. I'll tell you another time."

The doctor sighed once again. He thought he was going to find some answers soon but things didn't go the way he wanted it. In front of him, the girl looked like she was deep in thought as her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Is something in your mind?"

"Hey, doctor..."

Heaven Canceller raised an eyebrow. He braced himself from what she's going to say for he could feel that the girl's attitude changed again.

"W-what are we... what are we talking about earlier...?"

If he had not readied himself, the doctor would have shouted in disbelief. He just stared wide eyed at the girl, who was also staring back at him. He considered the possibility of it being caused by anesthesia, but what if there's something greater behind it? The girl was holding her arm again, but with more gentleness compared to earlier. Her facial expression was a bit strained as her teeth were clenched tightly.

The doctor cleared his throat and decided to end the topic completely.

"Let's forget about it. We should stitch your wound first."

"Uhh... doctor...?"

"What is it?"

He went a bit nervous when the girl called for his attention again.

"My arm hurts. I must have held onto it too tightly."

She raised her left arm, and there were dark bruises on it. That was the arm that she was gripping tightly during their conversation. The old man just sighed and helped her lie back on her bed gently.

"Just stay there. I'll be back to treat you."

"Thank you, doctor."

"Just doing my job."

Then he went out of the private room and closed the door with a click. His mind was entirely filled with questions without answers in sight. One day, he will put the puzzle piece by piece and solve it with the clues that he was given.

But just like what people used to say, it was easier said than done.

* * *

Ever since that day, Shirai Kuroko has been really silent. Her thoughts were scattered everywhere that she was losing her focus. She would always stare far away in a dazed state even at work, making her coworkers worry at her. Even at school, her teachers would note about her lost enthusiasm in studying. Her classmates would dismiss it as an effect of overwork with her duties in Judgement and advised her to take it easy. She would just nod her head and reply no more after that.

Kuroko sat in front of the computer screen, staring blankly at the piles of words on the display. Her hands remained still even though she was tasked to write a letter to their supervisors. Her usual vigor was unseen in her eyes, which was replaced with a shrilling feeling of dread. The girl beside her took a worried glance at her which she didn't even notice.

The worried girl named Uiharu Kazari knew the reason why Kuroko was acting like this. A few days before, her completely distraught friend went up to her and Saten and told her everything about what she found out in a certain investigation. The overly detailed information that she stated sent a chill down her spine. As she visualized the scene in her head, she fought back the urge to vomit that was rising from her stomach. Saten's face also paled in response, her hands and feet feeling cold all of a sudden. She shrugged the memory off and put on a determined face. She will try to be strong for her friends if that's what it takes to bring them back together again.

Uiharu placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. The teleporter jolted in her position then stared at her.

"Wh-what is it, Uiharu?"

"It's alright, Shirai-san."

"What do you mean..?"

The flowery headed girl nodded and stared at her straight in the eyes.

"We just need to work hard. That case didn't say anything about Misaka-san, right? So, we can still find her in other ways, there's still a ray of hope somewhere."

She stated with conviction glowing in her eyes. Uiharu may be physically weak, but what's strong in her is her determination to do what is right; whether it would include being beaten up or acting as a drag chute.

Kuroko smiled a little as she nodded, bringing her attention back to the computer screen.

"Thank you."

As soon as she pressed the keys on the keyboard, the loud sound of the door suddenly opening made them jump in their positions. Even Konori Mii, who was standing at the corner, almost choked on her drink (milk, as usual).

"Hey Uiharu, Shirai-san! Er... Did something happen?"

The three Judgement officers stared at the newcomer blankly then breathed out a sigh. At the doorway stood Saten Ruiko, the girl who loves urban legends so much that she researches them very seriously. She had a confused expression on her face, wondering about the blank look that they gave her.

"Nothing much, Saten-san. We were just surprised of your sudden entrance."

"I-is that so? Sorry about that."

She grabbed the nearest chair and sat beside Uiharu, who was busying herself from typing some reports.

"No information yet?"

"Yes... We couldn't get that much clue."

"This thing is quite difficult..."

Her face drops a bit, but as soon as she reached for her pockets a smile suddenly broke out from her face.

"Hey, do you want to hear another crazy story?"

"Ugh... Another of those baseless rumors?"

Kuroko grumbled as she heard her friend's usual line. She always denies the existence of those legends, but every time they would investigate it, something outrageous happens... Just like the other day. In spite of her protests, Saten continued regardless.

"Last night when I was helping out in researching some facts that Uiharu gathered, I came across this interesting article."

"You're ignoring me?! And how can urban legends help in this case?!"

"That's rude! It's with my knack for legit urban legends that we came at this point!"

"N-now that you mention it..."

The girl in twin tails had her mind taken away from the horrible memory as she argued with her eccentric friend.

"Ahem. Continuing my story, there was this rumor about a dumpsite monster."

"Dumpsite monster..?"

"Yes, a dumpsite monster."

She stood up from her chair as a part of her storytelling for added effect. Uiharu tore her gaze away from the computer screen as her friend's story took her interest.

"One day, there was a poor man who used to go to different dumpsites in search for some valuable objects for a living, whether they were broken computer parts or scrap metal. When he climbed the mountain of trash, he heard something move from his left. He approached it cautiously, and then..."

Uiharu gulped in anticipation, while Kuroko had a slightly irritated look on her face. She could notice a few flaws from the story that made her cringe internally. This was the thing that she hated with urban legends. Saten continued with a grin on her face as she went for the best part (according to her).

"... he saw a weird silhouette climbing up the piles of trash. It wriggled up like a worm, slowly and creepily. From what he could see, it was about the size of a human's torso with short tentacle-like appendages."

"W-what is that?!"

Uiharu yelped in fear, her mental image of the said monster taking shape in her mind. The teleporter just huffed and shook her head, but it was evident from the look on her face that she was listening to the whole story.

"The poor man felt cold, no, EXTREMELY COLD all of a sudden. His fingertips froze and his teeth chattered in synch with the trembling of his entire body. And then..."

"And then w-what..?"

Saten inhaled deeply in her short pause, her flowery friend staring at her with eager eyes. She breathed out a warm breath, and then-

"He ran away from the dumpsite and decided to work as a construction worker instead."

"Hhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeee-!"

"That was, how do you call it... a bit anticlimactic..?"

"Is that so? Well, endings like that are quite the trend nowadays"

Everyone was absolutely calm after the story, except for Uiharu who was clutching her chest and was breathing heavily from shock. The story might have ended, but a wide grin was still present on Saten's face.

"Fufufu..."

"What now?"

Kuroko had a weird feeling with that playful snicker.

"I know the story is quite intriguing, but that's not the reason why I told you that."

"It's not, and I'm not interested."

"Actually, the people at the forums stated that the dumpsite was owned by a large corporation, namely..."

Uiharu and Kuroko gulped and held their breaths. An ominous feeling spread in their guts and twisted painfully, knowing that the few words that Saten said would lead to the incident from a few days ago.

"...Yoshitaka Corporation."

"A-are you sure?"

The teleporter stuttered in her words; hearing that organization's name sent a chill down her spine. Her friend had a serious look on her face as she placed a hand on her chin.

"That's what they said, but I'm not really sure myself. And it's probably a coincidence, right?"

Then the conversation ended. A deafening silence permeated the room as the three of them had their minds occupied with a single thought:

What is this corporation's true colors?

Every investigation that they made lead to this certain name. At first, they were just searching for a special friend, but now they're suddenly involved in an organization's mess. Was this company really connected to a certain level 5?

They all knew what happened at their latest investigation, and if the #3 was involved in this, then they're close in finding out her exact location. But that thought utterly scared them. The gruesome image carved in Kuroko's mind was definitely not a joke.

What is Misaka Mikoto's connection to all of this?

The three of them knew that their friend wouldn't do such a crime no matter the reason. She would always try to do what is right and consider the best result with everyone happy in the end. She would even try to save her enemies sometimes.

Was she really connected to this incident?

Or did they find themselves in another separate issue instead?

The last one was more likely, but something in their gut told them that the first one was something that they shouldn't ignore.

No matter what.

* * *

"..."

Misaka Mikoto found herself sitting alone in her room with nothing to do. Usually, she would be busying herself with a lot of things at this hour, but being confined in a hospital room wouldn't let her do anything that she wanted. She just stared at the wall with a bored expression, her vision swimming together with her thoughts.

She breathed out a sigh. Her sisters visited her earlier, but they left immediately for some stuff (probably some medical check-ups and random errands). There was no one else left to visit her, and that made her breathe out another sigh.

But, deep inside, she actually felt relieved. She felt like herself today. Literally. Her mind was free from the disturbances that she experienced a few days ago. No random scratching. No red spots. Just nothing. Everything seemed to be normal, and it made her feel lighter.

Thinking about it, she couldn't understand herself at times. She acted out of her own accord, but after doing it, she would either get confused or regret the things that she did.

Especially with that man named Hagane Shinichi.

"I..."

She killed a man with her own hands.

With a smile on her face, even.

She placed a hand on her forehead, her palm feeling moist against her skin. She didn't know what led her to do that crime, and her own view of herself has tainted further. The memory was a bit hazy in her mind but she could exactly remember the emotions that filled her chest during that time. The wild thumping of her heart, the blood rushing through her veins, her ragged breathing, everything.

She felt like her head was over the clouds, gazing down in disgust at everything that her condescending eyes could see. She wanted to know how it felt like to crush the things that she held dear with her own hands, crumpling their bodies and ceasing their vital signs. She wanted to feel that heavy feeling in her chest, to despair once again, and to destroy her own being from the inside.

She wanted to know how insanity feels like.

She wanted to understand what's going on in 'their' heads as they do the things that she deeply hated.

She wanted to understand 'them' in her own perspective.

Those were the thoughts that swirled in her mind on that day. She stared at her hands then flinched slightly. She could remember the smell of the warm liquid that once covered her hands, its vibrant color haunted her in her every breath.

She suddenly lurched forward, her hand immediately clasped on her mouth. Her whole body was drenched in cold sweat. As she steadied herself, she lifted her gaze and noticed that she was not alone anymore.

 _"So, how are you feeling?"_

Mikoto frowned at the figure that suddenly appeared before her.

"You know it better than I do."

That person chuckled then smiled wider as it sat on the side of her bed with legs crossed.

 _"You're no fun, you know?"_

"..."

 _'So much for normalcy...'_

Misaka Mikoto almost sighed as she glared at its back. Short chestnut colored hair reached down its shoulders and contrasted with its fair white skin. Hazel eyes stared back at her as she flinched slightly.

 _It_ has appeared again.

She thought that she would be spending the day normally without these disturbances of unknown origin, but she was proved wrong.

And speaking of normal, this apparition meant the exact opposite. No normal person in the right state of mind could see an illusion of one's self. She's not even sure why it kept on appearing every time she was left alone for herself.

 _"You're back in this hospital room again. How reckless can you be?"_

"Shut up."

It grabbed the knife and the apple from the side table then proceeded to peel the red fruit. She could see that it flinched slightly as it did the act, maybe because of the wound on its shoulder (they both had one).

"Why are you here?"

 _"Because you're here, I can't go anywhere without you."_

It stated like it was the most obvious fact in the world. Well, what it said was true, but that's not the answer that she wanted to hear. She just glared at the figure for a while then averted her gaze to stare at the window. It continued to peel the red fruit, leaving a spiral pattern on a small plate as the knife circled around.

 _"What do you plan to do after this?"_

"..."

She ignored it, and the figure didn't look pleased with her actions. It cut a piece from the fruit and offered it to her.

 _"Want some?"_

"No."

 _"Come on, fruits are good for the body, especially to a healing patient."_

"..."

 _"Hey, I don't really like it when I'm being ignored."_

"..."

 _"Uhh... Hello?"_

"..."

The figure clicked its tongue, then Mikoto felt the bed suddenly shifting. She didn't have the time to react as the being suddenly grabbed the collar of her hospital clothes and pinned her against the headboard.

 _"STOP FUCKING IGNORING ME, DAMMIT!"_

She just stared at the apple stabbed on the knife as the being pointed it near her face. Its legs were resting beside her own, straddling her with no escape. Her teeth gritted and a grimace made its way to her face, mirroring the expression of the being on top of her.

 _"I said I hate being ignored, right?"_

"I forgot to tell you that I don't like being bothered more than being ignored."

They glared at each other's eyes, until the being leaned away a bit and detached the piece of fruit from the knife. It took a bite angrily then pointed the knife back at her again. She just stared, completely unfazed by the glinting metal near her face.

 _"You know what? I hate you."_

 _'I know.'_

She pressed her lips into a thin line. The being glared down at her in disgust and pointed the sharp object nearer to her face.

 _"Why do you think I'm here?"_

"..."

Silence stretched inside the sterile room. No sound could be heard aside from the rhythmic, sharp intake of air and the occasional tweeting of the birds passing by the window.

But that silence was suddenly cut off by a creaking sound. The sound was produced by the sudden shifting of weight by the two quarreling on top of the bed. The tides took a different turn as Mikoto managed to overpower the being and exchange their places, with her now on top. She restrained it from moving by pinning its wrists against the fluffy mattress with one hand and forcing her weight down on its body. The knife was also in her possession as she raised it high in the air. Her hazel eyes stared empty, like the spiraling darkness of an abyss.

"I don't know how to answer your question..."

She gripped the handle tighter and steadied her arm while the being stared stoically at her without wavering.

"But if you're planning to take my place, then I certainly know what I need to do."

She swung the knife down forcibly and stabbed the being's chest. It flinched slightly in response, but reacted no more after that.

"It's all your fault."

She stabbed it once again, and she could feel the knife piercing smoothly through its flesh.

"I didn't kill him. It's you. It's not my fault. You did it to him."

 _Yes, that's right. It's not my fault._

 _It's all your fault._

 _It's all your fault._

 _It's all your fault. It's all your fault. It's all your fault. It'sallyourfaultIt'sallyourfaultIt'sallyourfaultIt'sallyourfaultIt'sallyourfaultIT'SALLYOURFAULTIT'SALLYOURFAULTIT'SALLYOURFAULTIT'SALLYOURFAULTIT'SALLYOURFAULT!_

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!"

She suddenly shouted out loud, her breaths coming in heaves and gasps. Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead down to her cheeks. She didn't know why those words suddenly slipped from her mouth. She couldn't almost hear herself from the wild thumping of her heart that rang in her ears.

The being just stared at her with pitying eyes that made her want to stab it a few times more.

 _"Don't misunderstand."_

Blood pooled in its mouth and spilled from the corner of its lips, but it continued to talk regardless.

 _"What is it that you see before your eyes?"_

"H-huh...?"

The being's wrists was unknowingly free from her grip as it reached its bloodied hands to her face. She held back her breath, loosening her grip on the knife's handle.

 _"You've realized it, haven't you?"_

Her eyes widened, then she breathed out a restrained breath. Realized? Realized what? She couldn't understand it, but that simple sentence resonated deep inside her. It wiped the tears falling freely down her cheeks with its thumb, smearing the red liquid on her face. It just stared at her, waiting for her reply, until she finally noticed something. She blinked once, twice, then thrice; but she could still see the same.

The being in front of her was translucent, and the knife in her hand stabbed a white pillow behind it. The sheets were completely white, even though illusory blood pooled on its surface.

But that's not the point. Chestnut colored hair, fair skin, and a slim build. Everything that defined her could be seen, almost like a perfect copy. Unlike those people created from her own DNA, this being knew everything about her, even what she was currently thinking about. She knew that it was because of 'it' being made from her twisted imagination, but she still couldn't identify why would it even exist in the first place.

 _"Guilt can do wonders."_

The being smiled softly, a rare occurrence that made her stomach twist painfully. She relaxed her shoulders and breathed out a shaky breath. The knife clattered on the floor as she felt lost from the sudden emotions that burst inside her.

 _"For every little thing that happened around you, you've always been blaming yourself."_

Mikoto gripped the white sheets tightly that she could almost hear the fabric rip in her hands. The being in front of her just stared at her, its unwavering gaze conveying a mosaic of emotions.

 _"You got tired of everything, yet you couldn't even make it in your self to blame others because you knew that you're at fault too."_

Her breath felt stuck in her throat and her heartbeat rang loudly in her ears. She couldn't do anything to stop it from talking. It just smiled at her then continued.

 _"So you searched for an outlet to escape from this endless cycle, and from there I was created. It's hilarious, isn't it?"_

"Shut up..."

She muttered silently and the being halted at once. It just ruffled her hair then smiled apologetically.

 _"I'm sorry for being harsh on you. Even illusions feel tired, you know?"_

"Huh..?"

 _"I'll be taking my leave. You seem to have a visitor."_

"W-wait!"

She reached her hand out, but the sound of the door opening made her halt her movements. She glanced at the doorway and saw a black haired teen with glasses and emerald green eyes. He looked a bit surprised as he saw how a mess her room was, but soon gathered himself as he cleared his throat and inquired.

"Uhh... Are you accepting visitors..?"

"Ueda-san."

* * *

HEY GUYS I'M FREAKIN' BACK! It's been a while. Hope you're still following this even though I only update randomly with long intervals... I'm really sorry. College is killing me, and I don't have much tolerance from stress, so I ended up organizing my thoughts for a while. I'm really sorry for the delay (and expect another delay after this XD lol I'm screwed)

Uhh... I would probably end this chapter here for now. I planned this to be longer, but I already reached 6000+ words. I was actually conveying something in here (and probably in the next chapter, too), but I want to keep it vague as possible. I want to instill a feeling of mystery to the readers, and I hope I kinda achieved it (somehow). (And secretly, I want you guys to feel empty inside after reading this gehehehehe... Oh crap, you're still reading?!)

Thank you guys for reading this. I know this is just a crappy story that I created in a whim, but seeing a few people appreciating this makes me extremely happy, especially with the reviews (and I wonder who those guests that reviewed lately are? They kind of appeared out of nowhere and sent a review at the same hour. I really appreciate it, I'm just wondering how they sent a review almost simultaneously. It's kinda amazing because it's super rare).

AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!


End file.
